The international seminar The Caspian Sea � sustainable development and management, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the State enterprise on the Caspian Sea under the President of Turkmenistan jointly with the International Ocean Institute (IOI) took place in Avaza.
The 10-day training brought together specialists of various ministries and departments of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and their Turkmen colleagues � specialists of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Enterprise on the Caspian Sea under the President of Turkmenistan, the State Committee of Turkmenistan on Environment Protection and Land Resources, the State Service of Maritime and River Transportation, the State Committee for Tourism, the National Committee for Hydrometeorology under the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan, the State Committee for Fishing Industry, the oil and gas sector as well as the State Border service of Turkmenistan. Turkmen and foreign experts, including the ones from Russia, Germany, Iran, Malta and Honduras, cooperating with the International Ocean Institute, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), the UN development Programme, the Global Environment Fund and other large international organisations, delivered lectures at the seminar.
The forum participants learnt more about the Concept of the common heritage of mankind � the World ocean, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as the work of the International Ocean Institute and the Global Environment Fund. Particular attention was paid to the UN Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda.
Moreover, marine ecosystems, the impact of climate change on the marine environment, marine biodiversity, modern methods for assessing the impact of human economic activity on the environment, and marine spatial planning were studied during the seminar. The reviews of international legal norms applied while developing oil and gas resources, regulation of navigation in order to protect the marine environment and fish stocks of the Caspian Sea were presented.
Each lecture course ended with a practical lesson, during which the seminar participants demonstrated the level of understanding of the new information, their knowledge, their vision on problem solution.
The special session was dedicated to the Turkmen sector and the coast of the Caspian Sea. The training participants made a tour to the Avaza national tourism zone to get acquainted with its infrastructure and prospects for the development. They also visited the city of Turkmenbashi and the Khazar State Reserve. The project on creation of the artificial island in the sea bay, implemented simultaneously with the construction of the new International Seaport on the initiative of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov was of particular interest for the training participants.
Upon completion of the training course, the students made presentations, one of which was dedicated to the prospects for development of transport corridors, construction of oil and gas pipelines in the Caspian region.
The second presentation focused on the UN 2030 Agenda, which for the first time includes Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, which is extremely important for the well-being of all mankind. The seminar participants discussed the contribution that the Caspian countries could make to achieve this Goal.
Speaking at the certificates awarding ceremony, the seminar participants emphasized the great practical significance of the Caspian Educational Programme.
Source: Turkmenistan: the Golden Age Online Newspaper