Today, Kazakhstan celebrates Caspian Sea Day. Exactly 20 years ago, the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, known as the Tehran Convention, entered into force. Ahead of the holiday, the country hosted the international volunteer week 'Caspian Sea Action Week 2026' as part of the 'Taza Kazakhstan' environmental culture development concept, reports infohub.kz.
The week's events brought together delegations from all Caspian states — Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran, and Turkmenistan — as well as representatives from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Volunteers, environmental activists, experts, and young people joined them.
On August 6, the week was officially opened with a ceremony, and the following day featured an international seminar and roundtable on modern environmental monitoring technologies and scientific research in the Caspian countries.
One of the key events was the international environmental marathon 'Caspian Clean Challenge' held on August 8 in Aktau, with the participation of Mansur Oshurbaev, Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources. Volunteers carried out a large-scale coastal cleanup in a plogging format, collected and sorted waste, and learned about green technologies and environmental initiatives in the region.
On the same day, the 'Alley of Friendship of Volunteers of the Caspian Region' was opened in Aktau, where over 80 trees were planted and a time capsule with messages to future generations was laid.
On August 9, the 'Bozzhyra Clean Up' action took place in the Bozzhyra tract. Participants explored the unique natural landscapes of Mangystau and held an environmental cleanup in the area.
On August 10 and 11, the international hackathon 'Caspian Innovation Lab' was held, where participants developed and presented projects to experts on preserving the Caspian ecosystem. In parallel, an open mic in TED format was held, where eco-volunteers and experts exchanged experiences and discussed pressing environmental issues.
The week concluded on August 12 with the international volunteer summit 'Caspian Talks', which brought together representatives of the volunteer movement and the expert community. The summit awarded the hackathon winners and held a panel session on experience exchange and discussion of the region's environmental challenges. The week ended with a closing ceremony.