The Southern Caucasus, composed of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, has long
been a focal point for change and a bridge between Asia and Europe. The region
is in the midst of a tumultuous transition and has seen multiple inter-state
and ethnic conflicts in its recent past, some of them escalating to full-scale
warfare. In this context, the lack of regional cooperation threatens to exacerbate
environmental issues, themselves a source of potential conflict in the region.
Among the environmental concerns identified by ENVSEC in the Southern Caucasus
are the management of shared natural resources (not least in the Kura-Araks
river basin which covers a large part of the region), pollution from ageing
industries and irrigation networks, and uncontrolled growth of capital cities.
Disagreements about real or perceived environmental threats, such as those
related to the environmental conditions of the ‘frozen conflict’ zones,
Metzamor nuclear power plant or the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan trans-regional pipeline
further complicate the picture. On the positive side there are quite a few
opportunities to foster cooperation between the countries in the environmental
field.
The ENVSEC assessment of environment and security
linkages in the Southern Caucasus was completed and presented at the Ministerial
meeting of EECCA countries
in Tbilisi on October 22, 2004. ENVSEC has identified the frozen conflict zones
in South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Abkhazia as areas where more detailed
assessment can help facilitate a broader understanding of current environmental
challenges.. ENVSEC has supported monitoring and management of the Kura-Araks
river basin, strategic environmental assessments, the establishment of public
environmental information centres (“Aarhus centres”), and media
training. In the view of reducing tensions in mountainous areas and promoting
cooperation for protection and sustainable management, ENVSEC also supports
transboundary cooperation on the protection of the Caucasus mountains. The
process of negotiating a legal framework will proceed, and it is closely
linked to a similar mountain protection project in South Eastern Europe.
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Southern Caucasus Publications
Southern Caucasus ENVSEC Projects
 Establishment of and support to Public Environmental Information Centres (“Aarhus centers”) - On-going
ENVSEC Phase 1 assessment of Environment and Security risks and opportunities in the South Caucasus - Completed [See also project website]
Transboundary river management in Kura-Aras river basin through public involvement in water governance; complemented by a regional study on undergroun - Completed
Assessment and neutralization of hazardous chemicals in abandoned military sites in Armenia - Completed
ENVSEC in-depth assessment of environmental degradation in frozen conflict zones in the South Caucasus - Planned
Strategic Environmental Assessment – Promotion and Capacity Building in Armenia and Georgia - Completed
Environment and Security in the South Caucasus Triangle - Completed
UNDP/GEF: Development of legal and institutional frameworks for the cooperation in the Kura-Aras river basin - On-going
OSCE-led Environmental Assessment Mission to fire-affected territories in the Nagorno -Karabakh Region - Completed
Training in investigative journalism with respect to Environment and Security issues and linkages - Completed
Special Issue of the “Caucasus Environmental Magazine” - Completed
South Caucasus Cooperative River Monitoring - On-going [See also project website]
Environmental Confidence-Building in Areas of Frozen Conflict in Georgia - On-going
Development of an agreement on the management of transboundary watercourses shared by Georgia and Azerbaijan - On-going
South Caucasus River Monitoring - On-going
Strengthening Implementation of the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context in Armenia - Completed
Organization of the National Workshop on Obligations and Rights under the Protocol on Pollutants Release and Transfer Register to Aarhus Convention i - Completed
Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) – Promotion and Capacity Development in Azerbaijan - On-going
GEO Cities - On-going
Establishment of and support to “Aarhus centers” - On-going
Transboundary Environmental Impacts from Mining Activities in the Lori and Syunik regions, Armenia - Planned
Southern
Caucasus Maps & Images
ENVSEC
Maps
Southern
Caucasus Resources
UN Agencies
UNDP
in Armenia - Energy and Environment
UNDP
in Azerbadjan - Energy and Environment
UNDP
in Georgia
United
Nations Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG)
International and
National Cooperation Agencies & NGOs
OSCE
(Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe)
OSCE
Office in Baku
OSCE Mission to Georgia
OSCE Office in Yerevan
Personal Representative
of the Chairman-in-Office on the Conflict Dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference
NGOs
Caucasus
Environmental NGO Network
News
Armenia
and the Environment: The Challenges of Ecological Integrity in
a Developing Republic. Special report / supplement
to Armenia Now, June 2004. [output from ENVSEC media training in
Yerevan in May 2004]
EU
halts aid to Armenia over quake-zone nuclear plant. Brown,
Paul. The Guardian,
June 2, 2004.
Southern Caucasus Focal Points
 Armenia Nouneh ZASTOUKHOVA
First Secretary, International Organizations Department
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Government House 2, Republic Square
375010 Yerevan
Tel: +37410 54 40 41/232
Fax: +37 410 54 3925
E-mail: n.zastoukhova@mfa.am Ruzanna DAVTYAN
Head of International Cooperation Department
Ministry of Nature Protection
Government House 3, Republic Square
357010 Yerevan
Tel: + 37 410 58 53 49
Fax: + 37 410 58 54 69
E-mail: interdpt@rambler.ru
Azerbaijan Imran ABDULOV
Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources
Department of Environmental Policy and Environment Protection
B. Aghayev Str 100-A
370073 Baku
Tel: +99412 983907
Fax: +99412 4925907
E-mail: imranabdulov@baku.az Husniyya MAMMADOVA
First Secretary
Department of Economic Cooperation and Development, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Shikhali Gurbanov 4
AZ1009 Baku
Tel: + 99 412 4926 825
Fax: + 99 412 4929 692
E-mail: husniyya_mammadova@yahoo.com
Georgia George KOLBIN
Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Protection
68a Kostava St.
350015 Tbilisi
Tel: +99599 556510
Fax: +99532 984443
E-mail: gmep@access.sanet.ge Ilia IMNADZE
Second Secretary
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of International Organizations
4 Chitadze Str.
0118 Tbilisi
Tel: + 995 32284620
Fax: +995 33284678
E-mail: iimnadze@mfa.gov.ge |
