On March 30, 2022, a round table with media representatives was organized in the conference hall of the Aarhus Center in Osh to discuss issues of cooperation and activation of the media to inform the public about environmental issues.  This event was organized within the framework of the project “Promoting Green Economy and Environmental Management”.

The round table was attended by representatives of the Osh Regional Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision (MNRETS) of the Kyrgyz Republic, “Osh Aki-Press”, “Sputnik Kyrgyzstan”, “Еurasianet.org ”, “Osh zhanyrygy”, “Osh Shamy”, “Osh Sadosi”,“Osh Pirim”, “KTRK”, “ElTR”, “NurTV”, “OshTV”, “Region TV”, “Asia TV”, “T-media”, and OTRK “Yntymak”. A total of 19 media representatives participated.

The official opening of the round table was addressed by the Director of the Aarhus Center K. Isabayev who informed the participants about the basic principles of the Aarhus Convention, about the activities of the center in 2021 and work plans for 2022. This information and the announcement of the contest “Eco-Journalist 2022” were sent via e-mail, WhatsApp channels to the Jalal-Abad and Batken regional media centers.

Independent expert in the field of ecology and environmental protection, head of the regional network and website www.ecomap.kg G. Soronkulov spoke about the map of environmental incidents in Kyrgyzstan. He spoke in detail about the current situation of solid waste landfills, non-recultivated facilities, the state of the wastewater treatment plant, illegal felling of trees marked on the ecological map.

Head of the Department of the Osh Regional Department of the MNRETS KR K. Zakirov provided information about the Ministry and its activities. The participants were informed about the regional administration’s helpline.

The representative of T-Media, a member of the Advisory Council at the Aarhus Center A. Karakozuev and the program director of the ORTRK “Yntymak” A. Azhibekov talked about the joint activities with the Aarhus Center and called on the participants to work closely to inform the public about ecology and environmental protection.

The participants discussed issues of cooperation and joint work in the dissemination of environmental information.

At the end of the round table, the Director of the Aarhus Center expressed gratitude to the participants and called for close cooperation. He invited the participants of the round table to the action on cleaning the territory in the arboretum of the Faculty of Natural Geography of Osh State University, scheduled for April 2022. The importance of the media in the dissemination of environmental information among the public, ensuring environmental safety and the implementation of the principles of the Aarhus Convention was also noted.

Specialist of the Aarhus Center A. Zayyrbekov.