Regional Environmental Advisory Council Holds First Meeting in Almaty

The first meeting of the Advisory Council on Ecology and Sustainable Development was held in Almaty, bringing together environmental experts and public figures from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Orda.kz reports.

The session took place at the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research. The council aims to develop policy recommendations for governments and businesses on environmental safety in Central Asia.

Participants include leading regional experts in biodiversity, waste management, and water resource conservation. Among them are representatives from international organizations, research institutes, and environmental NGOs.

Participants:

• Asel Tasmagambetova – Environmentalist, founder of the Central Asian Institute for Environmental Research, and 2024 UN SDG Pioneer for Central Asia
  
• Mergen Kepbanov – Director of the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia’s project office in Turkmenistan
  
• Aizhan Chynybayeva – Founder of the “Eco Demi” Foundation, Honorary Consul of Norway, and World Cleanup Day Ambassador in Kyrgyzstan
  
• Dalerzhon Khodzhibayev – PhD in Technical Sciences, Head of the Ecology Department at GMIT (Tajikistan)
  
• Vadim Sokolov – Head of the Project Implementation Agency of IFAS (Uzbekistan)
  
• Bahrom Uzakov – World Bank consultant on information systems and water resource accounting
  
• Yerlan Zhumabayev – Director of the Regional Environmental Centre’s project office for Central Asia in Kazakhstan, Honored Ecologist of Kazakhstan
  
• Oyture Anarbekov – Country consortium representative and Senior Technical Advisor at Caritas Switzerland (Uzbekistan)

The council plans to expand in the future to include representatives from all Caspian states. Member countries' environmental leaders will be eligible to chair the council on a rotating basis.

Original Author: Maria Kravtsova