Baku Hosts the Caspian Conference

Baku, 25 May 2007 - The inaugural conference for the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention) - the first legally binding agreement adopted by the five Caspian neighbours - was hosted here from 23 to 25 May by the Government of Azerbaijan.

Under the Convention, which entered into force last August, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan will collaborate on reversing an environmental crisis brought about by habitat destruction, industrial pollution and the over-exploitation of fish and other marine life.

Today, on the final day, the Conference held a ministerial segment with ministers or deputy ministers representing each of the five countries.

The address of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan H.E. Ilham Aliyev to participants of the Conference was read at the session followed by statements of Azerbaijan's Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Abid Sharifov and Minster of Ecology and Natural Resources Mr. Guseyngulu Bagirov.

Vice President of Iran and Head of the Department of Environment H.E. Vaez Javadi thanked international partners of the Caspian Environment Programme - UNDP, UNEP and GEF for pursuing efforts for establishing a regional dialogue on the Caspian issues. She invited the Conference to start celebrating 3 August (entry into force of the Tehran Convention) each year as the Caspian Day and offered the first regional celebration of the Day this year in Iran.

Russian Deputy Minister Varlamov stressed the importance of regional cooperation to minimize the risk of oil pollution of the Caspian Sea. He also warned about the pollution risks related to the building of oil and gas pipelines along the Caspian seabed.

UN Resident Coordinator, UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Mr. Bruno Pouezat read out the message of the UNDP Administrator Mr. Kemal Dervis to the Conference. According to him, "The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been a proud partner to the Convention and CEP processes from the very beginning up to today." "UNDP remains committed to supporting the Caspian countries in their continued efforts to restore and sustain the Caspian's unique ecosystem." He said that "UNDP looks forward to continued cooperation with the Caspian countries and international partners in preparing proposals for GEF funding" to help address the critical environmental issues of the Caspian.

The Conference advanced work on four protocols to the Convention that will set out specific obligations in the fields of biodiversity conservation, environmental impact assessment, oil pollution incidents and pollution from land-based sources and on the permanent headquarters of the Convention. So far, only Azerbaijan has made a formal application while Russia and Iran are in the middle of internal consultation process.

The mildly salty Caspian Sea is the largest land-locked body of water in the world. It is fed by some 130 tributary rivers, most importantly the Volga River, which alone accounts for 75% of the total inflow.


For more information:
Ms. Jamila Ibrahimova
Senior Development Adviser
Tel.: +99412 498 98 88 (ext.110)