Turkmen planning authorities build skills in strategic environmental assessment at OSCE seminar in Ashgabat

More than 50 representatives from Turkmenistan’s environmental, health, and sectoral planning authorities strengthened their skills in strategic environmental assessment (SEA) at a two-day seminar organized by the OSCE from 18 to 19 June in Ashgabat.

Participants dove into the ins and outs of SEA, which is a systematic process for integrating environmental considerations into policies, plans, and programmes to support sustainable development and improve decision-making. They learned about the Protocol on SEA under the Espoo Convention and the EU SEA Directive (2001/42/EC), and how to integrate SEA into national and sectoral planning, particularly as a response to climate change.

Sessions also featured presentations on international best practices, case studies from Europe and Central Asia, and the current status of SEA development in Turkmenistan. They also focused on the roles and responsibilities of environmental, sectoral, and health authorities in the SEA process, highlighting inter-institutional collaboration and the importance of early stakeholder engagement, as well as practical exercises and peer learning on drafting strategic documents.

John MacGregor, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, which hosted the seminar, reaffirmed the OSCE’s ongoing support for Turkmenistan in strengthening the application of the SEA protocol. He emphasized that SEA serves as a vital instrument for embedding environmental and social priorities into policy planning, fostering greater transparency, and ensuring alignment with international sustainability commitments.

The seminar was part of the OSCE extra-budgetary project, “Strengthening National and Regional Capacities and Co-operation on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Central Asia – Phase II”, implemented by the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and funded by the Advisory Assistance Programme of the German Federal Environment Ministry, under the supervision of the German Environment Agency.