Caspian Sea 2011

2010

Strategy (PPS) for the Caspian Sea (UNEP, UNDP, TACIS 2009). The objectives of the strategy are to promote effective mechanisms for public partici- pation and engagement, and to improve public access to information and participation in deci- sion-making processes. The strategy aims to formulate a comprehen- sive, long-term agenda which will help in the im- plementation of the Tehran Convention and its Protocols over a 10-year period; the strategy will be fed into National Action Programmes, sup- ported by the biennial Programmes of Work of the Convention Secretariat. Several regional projects have helped foster public engagement, including the creation of the Caspian Stakeholders Database (CSD) in 2009. The database includes non-governmental and community-based organizations, academic bod- ies, media, local authorities and others, support- ing communication with and between the major stakeholders and creating partnerships. Analyses of stakeholders’ engagement in these processes at a national level are based on results of the questionnaire. Littoral states were asked to list the changes and developments in the involvement of stakeholders at the federal, na- tional and local levels initiated or enforced since January 2008—in some cases from 2007. Such developments would be seen to have a notice- able impact on the environment of the Caspian Sea and its adjacent coastal areas. The material compiled—at a national level—does not include the views of non-governmental organizations nor those of others. It provideds a broad picture, but the data in it is limited and could not be veri- fied independently. Therefore, it only provides a rather incomplete picture of what’s going on. Azerbaijan: In 2007, aiming to support the development of stable and efficient coopera- tion between the state and non-governmental organizations, Azerbaijan developed the idea of Engagement of civil society at the na- tional level

a body concerned with State Support to Non- governmental Organizations of the Azerbaijan Republic. Environmental protection is a priority area and NGOs involved in it should receive state support (Questionnaire AZ 2010). In late 2007, the Council of State Support to Non-governmental Organizations was es- tablished. The Council promotes cooperation between the state authorities and NGOs and functions as a dedicated body offering state support to NGOs. In early 2010, the Council, in partnership with the “Garadagh Cement” OJSC, announced a joint call for proposals to finance NGO projects (The Council of State Support to NGO website, Questionnaire AZ 2010). In 2010, the Community Council was estab- lished under the Ministry of Ecology and Nat- ural Resources. It promotes cooperation with environmental NGOs for the implementation of state programmes for environmental protec- tion. It also encourages the involvement of the wider public in nature protection, environmen- tal guidance, education and awareness building (Questionnaire AZ 2010). Iran: In 2009, the National Agricultural Research Institute, in partnership with the Ministry of Agri- culture and the International Sturgeon Research Institute, promoted the idea of rewarding collec- tion of spawn-ready female sturgeon. Those fishing on a small scale were given the possibility of col- lecting and selling such spawners to fisheries’ au- thorities. This participatory initiative was launched in order that sturgeon could be spawned artifi- cially and then released back into the sea. Through this initiative, fishermen were discouraged from catching mature sturgeon—the reward for selling spawn-ready fish being higher. Kazakhstan: The National Caspian Action Plan of 2007 has two aims as regards engagement in en- vironmental issues: to increase public awareness of environmental problems and to support public participation in the management of the Caspian Sea environment.

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