Azerbaijan has called for enhanced regional cooperation to
tackle growing environmental threats to the Caspian Sea, as the
United Nations introduces stricter cross-border environmental
assessment protocols for the region, AzerNEWS
reports, citing an Euronews article.
At UN discussions in Geneva, Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of
the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, joined senior officials and
environmental experts to highlight governance challenges affecting
the world’s largest enclosed body of water. Delegates emphasized
the importance of long-term monitoring, improved scientific data,
and closer coordination among Caspian littoral states and
international partners.
The renewed diplomatic focus coincides with the adoption of a
new Protocol on Environmental Impact Assessment under the Tehran
Convention, which requires that major infrastructure projects in
the Caspian region — including oil and gas facilities, pipelines,
power stations, dams, transport corridors, and large-scale water
transfers — undergo cross-border environmental assessments upon
request from any other littoral state. Such assessments must be
publicly available, and affected states must approve projects
before construction proceeds.
“The Caspian Sea is coming under increasing pressure from the
triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and
pollution,” said Arnold Kreilhuber, Director of UNEP’s Regional
Office for Europe. “Regional cooperation is vital. The Tehran
Convention… can unite efforts to help ensure we protect this unique
body of water and the communities and species that depend on
it.”
The Tehran Convention, formally known as the Framework
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the
Caspian Sea, provides the governance framework for regional
cooperation. Signed by all five Caspian littoral states —
Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan — it aims to
safeguard the marine environment and promote sustainable
development. Its Secretariat is currently provided by the UN
Environment Programme (UNEP) on an interim basis.
Since its adoption, the Convention has guided measures on oil
spill response, land-based pollution, and biodiversity protection.
A fifth protocol on environmental monitoring and information
exchange is under negotiation to strengthen long-term
sustainability efforts.
Experts warn that the Caspian Sea’s environmental decline could
threaten both ecosystems and economic connectivity. The sea lies
along key Europe–Asia energy and transport corridors, making its
health critical not only to regional biodiversity but also to
international trade and energy infrastructure. The new protocol
brings the region closer to international environmental standards
amid rapid economic expansion and rising industrial activity.
Azerbaijan’s engagement at the UN underscores its effort to
elevate Caspian Sea protection from a regional priority to a shared
international challenge.
By linking infrastructure governance with environmental
responsibility, Azerbaijan is positioning itself as a reliable,
forward-looking partner in safeguarding one of the world’s most
unique inland seas.