ALMATY – The Caspian Sea has dropped by around two meters since the 1990s, highlighting the scale of environmental challenges facing the region, officials said at an April 23 panel session on the Tehran Convention held as part of the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 (RES) in Astana.
Discussions centered on the worsening environmental situation in the Caspian Sea, as participants stressed that the Tehran Convention remains the key platform for coordinated regional action. Photo credit: Max Baikenov. Discussions centered on the worsening environmental situation in the Caspian Sea, as participants stressed that the Tehran Convention, signed in 2003 by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, remains the key platform for coordinated regional action, including the development of a joint Action Plan for 2026–2036.
Shared responsibility for a fragile ecosystem Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources Zhomart Aliyev said preserving the Caspian ecosystem is a shared priority for all five littoral states. “Today, the Caspian is facing serious challenges: sea level changes, ecosystem degradation, and pollution.
These processes affect the interests of all Caspian countries and require coordinated, science-based, and long-term solutions,” he said. Aliyev also highlighted the importance of an initiative to develop a comprehensive interstate program aimed at protecting the sea.
Inger Andersen, deputy secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, described the situation as both an ecological and humanitarian crisis. “The Caspian Sea is in trouble. But we should not choose despair.
I believe this meeting is exactly why we can choose hope,” she said, urging countries to finalize the Action Plan and begin implementation without delay. Participants agreed on the need to strengthen cooperation through unified forecasting models and improved data exchange.
Mobilizing funding from international financial institutions was also identified as a priority.