Documents

NCLO-CIP prepared an information letter for the “Caspian Sea Day”-2024 celebration and circulated it to the Russian participants of the Caspian Sea national network of public and other environmentally oriented organizations along with other information materials,including a draft information brochure on the 20th anniversary of the Tehran Convention signing. Based on those materials, representatives of the public and other interested parties had the opportunity to present in a brief systematic form a chronology of historical events and current activities within the framework of the Tehran Convention, including the national “Caspian Sea Day” celebrations.

In 2022, there took place environmental campaigns and subbotniks (volunteer weekend work). This on the Volga River banks in the Limansky district an eco-subbotnik was organized with the participation of schoolchildren, and it was aimed at cleaning up the coastal area of ​​the river from rubbish.

The natural potential of the unique Volga Delta area is effectively and carefully used in the excursion and tourist activity of the Astrakhan Reserve. 

Activities to mark the “Caspian Sea Day” in Russia were carried out annually from 2008 to 2019, and 10 celebrations took place.

In Russia, celebration of the Caspian Sea Day was launched in 2008 with holding the Caspian Ecological Forum (August 11, 2008, Astrakhan).  It aimed to discuss national mechanisms for the Tehran Convention implementation in the context of ensuring ecological safety and socio-economic development of the Caspian region of the Russian Federation.

The first event under the “Caspian Sea Day” celebration took place in Astrakhan, on August 12, 2008.

Of 10 events within the framework of the “Caspian Sea Day” fest, six were organized to discuss thematic areas of the Tehran Convention's activities (in the format of meetings, round tables):  three - at the national level and three - at the regional one.  Of these, five events took place in Astrakhan and one event was held in Makhachkala.

The materials in English language are available in the second part of the attached document. 

In accordance with the provisions of the Tehran convention and its Strategy for Civil Society Engagement in the Caspian Sea Marine Environment or Public Participation Strategy (PPS), one of the main mechanisms for the stakeholders involvement into the Caspian Sea marine environment protection is the annual celebration of the “Caspian Sea Day” in each of the Caspian Sea littoral states. The fest was established on August 12, 2006, to mark the entry into force of the Convention.
The regional activity of the ecologically-oriented organizations covers such areas as minimization of the Caspian Sea marine and coastal environment pollution, dissemination of information on the environment status, environmental education and awareness-raising which mainly relates to bringing up the younger generation – schoolchildren and students.
In 2018, the activity devoted to the Caspian Sea marine and environment protection was conducted in all three Caspian Sea constituent entities of the Russian Federation – the Astrakhan region, the Republic of Dagestan and the Republic of Kalmykia.

According to the Tehran Convention Public Participation Strategy, the annual organization of the Caspian Sea Day in each of the coastal countries, launched on the occasion of the entry into force of the Convention on 12 August 2006, is one of the main mechanisms for the public involvement into the Caspian Sea marine environment protection.

The importance of this event lies in the broad involvement of stakeholders, including civil society organizations and the private sector, into efforts to implement the provisions of the Tehran Convention and its Protocols.

In 2016, all three Caspian constituent entities – the Astrakhan region, Republics of Dagestan and Kalmykia – held events devoted to or connected with the Caspian Sea Day.  Most of the events were conducted in the format of ecological actions, initiatives on cleaning-up the rivers shores and the Caspian Sea coast and via the topic-based events for schoolchildren and students.

The materials in English language are available in the second part of the document.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015 (Resolution 70/1), “Transforming Our World: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” defines the directions of the sustainable development for particular regions and states, including activities aimed at achieving a balanced and sustainable economy.

It contains seventeen sustainable development goals and one hundred sixty-nine targets, many of which are important for the activities under conventions and regional sea action plans.  Governments are responsible for the implementation of commitments to achieve these goals and targets, while the regional sea conventions are the basis for promotion of the corresponding regional activities.  The regional sea conventions reinforce the application of the ecosystem approach and form multilateral partnership for achieving the sustainable development goals.

In this regard, the event, which takes place in Astrakhan, 10-11 August 2017, under the Year of Ecology in the Russian Federation, is timed to the celebrations of the “Caspian Sea Day” under the Tehran Convention, might be considered as one of the most significant events in the calendar of the international environmental cooperation within the Caspian Sea region.

The event, organized by the Administration of the Astrakhan oblast, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, PJSC “LUKOIL”, and Interim Tehran Convention Secretariat, traditionally brings together representatives of the Caspian littoral countries, executive authorities of different levels, experts, as well as business sector and academic community with a view of the professional discussion of the implementation of the provisions of the Tehran Convention in the context of sustainable development.

Highlighting the role of the public in carrying out the environmental policy at the Caspian, the Caspian Day 2015 is dedicated to the Tehran Convention and interaction of stakeholders in addressing environmental problems of the Caspian Sea.

The objective of the meeting: to discuss the participation of public and other stakeholders in the implementation of the Tehran Convention and protocols to it.

To achieve this goal it is necessary to focus on:

• Public component of international projects in support of the Tehran Convention;
• Experience and goals of the Caspian littoral countries public participation in addressing the environmental problems of the Caspian Sea, including the role of mass media;
• Public participation in EIA procedures in the Caspian Sea region, including the transboundary;
• Enhancement of the role of public in the NCAPs implementation.

Year 2013 was declared by the Edict of the President of the Russian Federation as the Year of the Environment aimed at the implementation of one of the principle rights provided by the Constitution of the Russian Federation – “ensuring the right of every person for favourable environment”.  The executive authorities of the subjects of the Russian Federation have been carrying out the relevant activities and events all the year round, which were planned in the frameworks of the Year of the Environment in Russia.

It is especially important that such a decision has been made at the background of the similar declaring of 2013 as the Year of Environmental Culture and Protection within the Commonwealth of Independent States.

In the attached document materials in English language are available in the second part of the document. 

The Caspian region is a priority region for Russia in ecological, marine and economic aspects.  This is confirmed by the implementation of federal and regional programs, the development of academic and applied research in the Caspian Sea region of Russia, the regular various national/international meetings on the Caspian Sea issues and by the public active involvement.

The Tehran Convention, being a legal tool of the regional environmental cooperation, has a pivotal role to play in preventing and overcoming the region’s ecological problems.  The effective use of its mechanisms will make it possible to contribute to the implementation of the national project “Ecology” and the federal project “Clean Country”.

In the city of Makhachkala (the Republic of Dagestan), on 6-7 August, 2019, an event dedicated to the celebration of the “Caspian Sea Day” took place in the framework of the Tehran Convention (Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea).  It was organized following the Fifth Caspian Summit-2018 and ahead of the Sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the Tehran Convention (November 2019, Baku, Azerbaijan).

The event was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation and the Government of the Republic of Dagestan through the National Convention Liaison Office- Center for International Projects.  I was held within the framework of meeting the national obligations under the Tehran Convention.

The northern area of the Caspian sea, as the most valuable and unique fishery water body, is characterized by high biological productivity.  The biocenoses of the Caspian sea northern area, located “at the juncture” of natural zones and adapted to significant long-term changes-return conditions of the marine environment, are “ecotone”.

The key importance of this region for the maintenance of the population specificity of biological diversity and associated with it the bioresource values of the whole Caspian sea is widely recognized.

In 2012 all events related to the Caspian Day that took place in the Caspian littoral subjects of the Russian Federation were held via the organization of various conferences, seminars for scholars, Olympiads, actions, and campaigns to clean-up the shores of the rivers and the Caspian Sea.

The Caspian Environment Programme is a regional partnership between the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea (Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan) and international organisations (the EU, UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank). The goal of the CEP is the environmentally sustainable development and management of the Caspian Environment. Part of the process in achieving this goal is identifying the priority environmental issues and developing a regional Strategic Action Programme and five National Caspian Action Plans , one for each of the  littoral countries.

The Caspian Sea is the largest completely enclosed body of salt water in the world and constitutes a particularly fragile ecosystem. It contains great fishery resources, including 90% of the world’s stock of sturgeon, as well as vast oil and gas deposits in the subsoil. It is crossed by important transportation routes connecting Europe and Central Asia. For much of the twentieth century it was within the exclusive domain of Iran and the USSR, with the latter enjoying naval dominance. With the collapse of the Soviet Union the geopolitical situation in the region changed significantly. Instead of two, there are currently five riparian states – Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan – each filing differing legal claims.

National Brief on Legislative and Institutional Measures for the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Caspian Sea Environment in the Russian Federation was made by the ANO "Centre for International Projects" (CIP) on the commission of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation in line with the preparation of the position of the Russian side to the 1st Conference of the Parties to the Tehran Convention, and according to the Memorandum of Understanding between UNEP/ROE and CIP.

The main objective of this work is assessment of the preparedness level of the national environmental legislation of the Russian Federation to provide implementation of the Tehran Convention provisions, as well as its protocols, which drafts are under the preparation by the experts from the Caspian littoral countries.

During the 6 years after the preparation of the national report, new pieces of legislation have emerged. These include The Caspian Sea Protection Convention and The 4th Social, Economic and Cultural Development Plan of the country. This report provides an updated overview of the laws, regulations and institutional frameworks in place with regard to the protection of the Caspian Sea.

In the Caspian Sea basin Mangistauskaya and Atyrauskaya oblast of Kazakhstan are located. The Ecological program of Mangistuskaya oblast for 2005-2007 directed to solve such problems as liquidation of historical pollution, biodiversity conservation and prevention of desertification and soil degradation, reduction of the volumes of industrial and household waste, etc. All regional programs are obligatory submitted to the approval of Ministry of Environment Protection of Republic of Kazakhstan (MoEP RK), and then it can be approved in regional Maslikhats. The Ecological program of Atyrauskaya oblast for 2006 - 2008 is approved in the MoEP and now is on the confirmation in the regional Maslikhat.

The present report has been prepared by the regional legal expert – Irina Krasnova, professor of environmental law of the Russian Academy of Civil Service under the President of the Russian Federation, doctor of juridical science.

The report is prepared within the framework of the Caspian Environment Programme in accordance with the relevant UNEP project, the Terms of Reference for the Regional Legal Expert.

The Report is based on the National Briefs on Legislative and Institutional Frameworks for the Protection and Sustainable Management of the Caspian Sea Environment prepared by National Legal Experts of the five Contracting Parties to the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (further – Tehran Convention), on the materials provided by the UNEP/ROE, and obtained from various information and data base sources, advice and cooperation of the CEP/PCU.

The present report has been prepared by the international legal consultant – Irina Krasnova, professor of environmental law of the Russian Academy of State Administration under the President of the Russian Federation, doctor of juridical science.

The report is prepared within the framework of the Caspian Environment Programme in accordance with the relevant UNEP/UNDP/TACIS project, the Terms of Reference for the International Consultancy of Legal National Assessments attached in Annex III to the project and the Workplan for CRTC/LREI.

Public Participation is stimulated in key international instruments such as the 1998 Aarhus Convention (Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Matters), signed and ratified by many of the Caspian Sea countries, and builds on the requirements of the Commission on Sustainable Development to promote the implementation of Agenda 21 and the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development.  Public participation is required within the Aarhus Convention and is in line with the principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).