From Commitment to Implementation for Caspian Sea Protection

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23 Apr 2026 Speech Ocean, seas and coasts

From commitment to implementation for Caspian Sea protection

Photo by UNEP Speech delivered by: Inger Andersen For: High-level Session: Dialogue on the Tehran Convention – Strengthening Cooperation in the Interests of the Caspian Sea Location: Astana, Kazakhstan
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Excellencies, delegates, colleagues,

It is a pleasure to join you at this Regional Ecological Summit and at this high-level session on how to strengthen cooperation on the Caspian Sea through the Tehran Convention.

The Caspian Sea, the largest enclosed body of water on Earth, has ecological, economic and cultural importance that resonates far beyond its shores. This haven for biodiversity – which is home to the endangered Caspian Seal and serves as the world’s largest spawning ground for sturgeon – supports the livelihoods of millions of people across five countries.

But the Caspian Sea is not in a good place. Water levels have dropped by around two metres since the 1990s. And these levels could drop way more by the end of the century, with projections ranging from an additional 8 to 21 metres.

There are many reasons for this decline. The Volga River provides around 80 per cent of total inflow, making the system extremely sensitive to upstream changes. Over-exploitation, habitat destruction, pollution and climate change are major factors.

This is both an environmental crisis and a human crisis. Damage to the Caspian Sea threaten ports, fisheries, infrastructure and coastal communities – with major economic costs, threats to food security and the potential displacement of millions of people.

But we need not choose despair. We can choose hope. Because the nations that rely on this sea are here, together, to arrest the decline.

Excellencies,

The Tehran Convention, the only legally binding regional framework for protecting the Caspian Sea’s marine environment, will be critical. As the cornerstone for regional cooperation, it provides a platform to align our efforts, to unite science and policy and to prioritize sustainable development across this unique region.Through transboundary collaboration, we can craft integrated solutions that safeguard ecosystems, support livelihoods and promote equitable economic growth.

Since June 2024, UNEP and the Caspian littoral states have supported a sequence of substantive steps: a technical review of the issue, the adoption of two declarations demonstrating political commitment, mobilizing the scientific community towards a possible scientific conference and developing a Regional Action Plan aimed at translating concern into determination, and determination into action.

UNEP, as the Secretariat of the Convention, is proud to support these vital efforts, and remains firm in its commitment to provide technical expertise, foster collaboration and support innovative financing mechanisms to address this urgent challenge.

Excellencies,

This meeting can be a critical turning point.

I call on countries to finalize and adopt the 2026-2036 Action Plan – which will provide a roadmap for cooperation on scientific monitoring, climate adaptation and ecosystem protection – and identify concrete mechanisms to operationalize it.

While an Action Plan of this scale will necessarily remain a living document, continuously informed and strengthened by evolving scientific knowledge, it is essential to initiate implementation without delay.

We must pursue partnerships and finance to enact the Action Plan, engaging with international partners and climate finance institutions to scale up solutions and strengthen resilience across the region. We must back robust monitoring and predictive models to understand and manage the drivers of water level changes. We must demonstrate collective action, scientific cooperation and sustained political commitment.

Together, we can secure a brighter future for the Caspian Sea, and the people and species that depend upon it.

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