ArmInfo. On May 12, 2023, the strategy presentation event of the Lake Sevan Protection Platform organized by "Blejan" NGO within the framework of the "Environmental Protection of Lake Sevan" (EU4Sevan) project in Gavar organized strategy presentation event of the Lake Sevan Protection Platform created with the support of the "Environmental Protection of Lake Sevan" (EU4Sevan) project, which is co-financed by the European Union and the German government.
This is stated in the message of the organizers of the event.
The Lake Sevan protection platform, which has been operating for six months in the Gavar community, aims to form environmentally responsible behavior of citizens and change their attitude towards the environment, as well as to reduce and as much as possible solve the production and public purpose, agricultural sewage/wastewater of households in Gavaraget and Sevan. the question of the mining process. The purpose of the platform is to bring together representatives of the public and private sectors, as well as civil society, taking joint responsibility and joint efforts to reduce pressure on Lake Sevan. The deputy minister welcomed the participants. "Preserving and protecting Lake Sevan as a freshwater basin of national and regional importance, restoring the ecological balance, and ensuring the normal development and sustainable use of the ecosystem of the Lake Sevan basin is our primary task today. Every citizen of the Republic of Armenia should form and take root in the idea that he is also responsible for ensuring the cleanliness of Lake Sevan from school age. Involvement of state and local self-government bodies, large-scale educational and awareness-raising activities, etc., I hope that this platform will become the tool and the way by which we will approach the formation of that thinking. The Ministry of Environment is always ready to support the platform's activities and smooth operations."
RA Deputy Minister of Environment Aram Meimaryan, GIZ EU4Sevan team leader Christian Henschel and the project team, representatives of the public and private sectors of Gegharkunik marz, as well as civil society, as well as other officials, stakeholders, and residents of Gegharkunik mars communities, were present at the event.
During the six months of the Platform's activity in the Gavar Community, the participants discussed and familiarized themselves with the current situation of Lake Sevan, the primary sources of pressure, and the risks caused by the Lake's current condition and their consequences for various sectors. As a result, thematic working groups were formed, which, as a result of joint work, developed working group strategies and action plans, which were presented during the event by "Awareness Raising" and "Water Quality" Group members.
"I am happy for our cooperation with the Gegharkunik marz's administrative office. Today, within the framework of the EU4Sevan project implemented by us, we have gathered to discuss a very important issue related to the presentation of the strategy of the Lake Sevan protection platform. Our project will indeed end next year, but Lake Sevan with its eco- system will last forever. Therefore, we all should show unity and take part in the healthy protection of Lake Sevan and as a further step, jointly find the possible solutions that should be implemented so that the problems affecting the lake can be resolved as much as possible", emphasized Christian Henschel.
At the end of the event, the participants of the three-day online training on Natural Resources Risks and Action Framework (NRAF) methodology held in January were awarded certificates of participation. The training aimed to make the participants understand and be able to facilitate the different steps of a multi-stakeholder stewardship partnership to address environmental risks collectively by using the NRAF as the guiding natural resources management framework, which is crucial for the successful establishment of the Platform.