On the 21st of October 2024, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat hosted a conference dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Turkmenistan's accession to the Aarhus Convention.

Turkmenistan became the first Central Asian state to ratify the Aarhus Convention and commit to implement the provisions of this key UN document on access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.

The conference was attended by representatives of the Aarhus Centre in Turkmenistan and public organizations, national environmental experts and representatives of relevant ministries and departments. A representative of the Aarhus Convention Secretariat emphasised the role of this document in promoting the principles of good environmental governance and sustainable development.

The draft National Report on the Implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Turkmenistan and its provisions was presented at the event, and the main areas of activity of the Aarhus Centre were discussed. Representatives of the Aarhus Centre in Turkmenistan spoke about the role of the Centre in promoting the three fundamental principles of the Convention and the main areas of its activities, emphasizing the importance of its work aimed at promoting sustainable water management.

An exchange of experience in organizing environmental campaigns also took place. The Aarhus Convention was adopted under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe with the aim of supporting the protection of human rights to an environment favourable to their health and well-being, access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.

Turkmenistan ratified the Aarhus Convention on the 30th of April, 1999, confirming its intention to be guided by high international standards in the field of environmental protection and public participation in decision-making on environmental issues. In August 2012, with the support of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat and the Ministry of Nature Protection of Turkmenistan, the Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan was opened and began to function. The Centre operates within the framework of the project based on the activities of the NGO «Tebigy Kuwwat» in Ashgabat.