PRESS RELEASE Triple Crisis of the Caspian Sea Highlighted in Geneva

PRESS RELEASE Triple Crisis of the Caspian Sea Discussed in Geneva

GENEVA, 17–20 November 2025 – The global movement Save the Caspian Sea and the Social-Ecological Fund hosted a panel discussion and a series of international consultations on the triple crisis of the Caspian Sea during the 8th Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention.

At the parallel event “The Aarhus Convention in Practice: Implementing and Adapting the Principles of Environmental Democracy”, the movement’s founder Vadim Ni announced the submission of a complaint to UN international procedures concerning transparency and public access to information regarding Caspian-related oil agreements.

Turning to international procedures became a necessary step after a year of unsuccessful attempts to obtain disclosure of the environmental components of Kazakhstan’s Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs). In January of this year, Vadim Ni publicly stated that any extension of the contracts should be allowed only if their environmental conditions are made public. He submitted a request to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy seeking public access to environmental information under the PSAs and the concession agreement for the Karachaganak, Kashagan, and Tengiz fields, but the request was denied.

Courts of first instance, appeal, and cassation all refused to hear his lawsuit against the Ministry of Energy seeking disclosure of PSA conditions, effectively blocking any possibility of achieving transparency through national legal mechanisms. The case was subsequently submitted to international mechanisms, including the UN Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures and the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee.

“We spent a year trying to work within Kazakhstan’s legal system—filing requests, pushing for action, appealing to government bodies and the courts—yet ran into a wall of secrecy surrounding the environmental conditions of the oil agreements. Our right to access information and to challenge decisions in court was never upheld, which is why we turned to the international mechanisms under the Aarhus Convention and the UN Human Rights Council. Refusing to disclose the environmental terms of oil contracts poses a direct threat to the Caspian Sea and to the rights of millions of people living in Kazakhstan,” said Ni.

Background

The parallel event “The Aarhus Convention in Practice: Implementing and Adapting the Principles of Environmental Democracy” took place on 18 November 2025 as part of the 8th Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention. The purpose of the participation was to draw attention to the Caspian Sea’s escalating ecological crisis, which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highlighted during the 2025 Tianjin Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and in his Annual Address to the People of Kazakhstan.

Participants included representatives of international organizations, environmental NGOs, and media outlets.

The Aarhus Convention requires States to ensure access to environmental information, public participation in environmental decision-making, and access to justice when these rights are violated. Kazakhstan signed the Convention in 1998, ratified it in 2000, and it entered into force on 30 October 2001.

The global movement “Save the Caspian Sea” works to protect the unique ecosystem of the Caspian Sea, advocating for transparency, corporate accountability, and environmental responsibility. The movement collaborates with environmental organizations, local communities, governments, and industry representatives to address urgent environmental challenges, including pollution and habitat loss.