A coalition of 29 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from 13 countries has called on Armenia to coordinate its mining activities with Azerbaijan, citing severe environmental damage to transboundary rivers in the South Caucasus region.
The appeal, addressed to the Secretariat of the Espoo Convention and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), was made public on Wednesday.
The coalition, led by the Environmental Protection First (EPF) NGO, expressed concern over the pollution caused by Armenia’s extractive industry, particularly its impact on shared water bodies.
According to the statement, heavy metal waste from mining operations in Armenia is contaminating transboundary rivers, including Pambak (Debed), Aparanchay, Zangichay, Vedichay, Arpachay, Okchuchay, and Bazarchay, which feed into the Kur and Araz rivers.
The pollution of the Araz River, a major freshwater source in the region, poses a significant threat to biodiversity, soil quality, aquatic life, and human populations in Azerbaijan and neighboring countries.
“We strongly condemn these actions that blatantly disregard internationally recognized environmental standards, particularly the UN Economic Commission for Europe’s (UNECE) Espoo Convention.
“Under this convention, environmental impact assessments for industrial activities must be shared with affected countries, but Armenia has consistently failed to comply,” the appeal stated.
The coalition criticized Armenia for refusing to cooperate with neighboring nations on environmental monitoring, raising concerns over its commitment to transparency and responsible resource management.
The appeal urged the EITI to consider these environmental breaches when evaluating Armenia’s extractive industry transparency.
It also called for independent monitoring of mining facilities by international experts, Azerbaijani authorities, and civil society organizations to verify environmental and operational compliance.
The coalition emphasized that economic development should not come at the cost of environmental degradation and water pollution.
They called on the Espoo Convention and EITI Secretariats to intervene and facilitate dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan to address these pressing ecological concerns.
Among the signatories of the appeal is Dare Akogun of DA News Media Advocacy for Climate Literacy and Justice in Nigeria.
Others Femina NGO, Finland. Kano advocacy organization, Nigeria. UNASCAD, Haiti. Wote Youth Development Projects CBO, Kenya. Social Development organization “Paix&Lait”, Djibouti. GreeM Environment, Chad and Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) – CSOs Network, Nigeria.
Others are: Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN), Nigeria. Association des Volontaires pour l’Environnement Sain, Togo. 350 Kenya/ABO’S AFRICA, Kenya. Kano advocacy organization, Nigeria. Apostol Manuel Versantul Partizanilor, Romania, Youth Vision NGO, Moldova . Wale Ojetimi, News Agency of Nigeria, Nigeria. Enemas Resources Foundation, Nigeria.Climate Hub Forum, Pakistan. Green Habito, Finland. Women and girls Empowerment organization, Eswatini
Others:TUBAE- International, Kenya . Turkana Gender and Child Protection Network (TGCPN), Kenya. Citizen Network For Rural Development, Kenya.TODANYATU CBO, Kenya. Hope Community Initiative, Uganda . Engendering Gender International, Uganda. Ayok multi-development organization, Kenya.
Global Leadership Initiatives for Education, Health and Social Development (GLIEHSD), Nigeria . Patrick Sawasawa Odrapna AFRICA, DRC. Girl-child care İnitiative, Uganda.
OAB Youth Foundation, Bangladesh
By Dare Akogun
