An extended session of the International Scientific and Public Environmental Council (Eco-Council) of the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) was held in Minsk On December 17–18, 2025. The event took place at the Presidium building of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Belarus. Representatives from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia participated in the meeting.
The initiator and main organizer of the Council’s establishment was “Center for Advanced Scientific and Educational Programs of the Eurasian Space ‘Eurazimut’” Autonomous Non-Profit Organization. The session marked the Eco-Council’s transition from the organizational formation stage to active project-based activities.
The first working day opened with a welcoming address by the Chair of the Council, A. V. Kilchevsky. The central theme of the plenary session was current issues related to the conservation of biological diversity in the EAEU countries. Reports were delivered by representatives of all member states, highlighting the shared nature of environmental challenges and the need to coordinate joint efforts.
Subsequently, discussions continued in a roundtable format. Experts examined issues related to the preparation and publication of joint environmental literature, as well as the role of civil society organizations in environmental education and in raising environmental awareness among young people.
The Armenian member of the EAEU Eco-Council, Kristina Ter-Matevosyan, representative of “Ecolur” Informational NGO, participated in the session online. In her speech, she presented Ecolur’s experience and the activities of the public journalists’ network in Armenia. During her presentation, Kristina Ter-Matevosyan proposed the establishment of an eco-journalists’ network within the framework of the EAEU Eco-Council.
The Chair of the Council, A. V. Kilchevsky, presented a report on the Eco-Council’s activities in 2025. Kanatbek Abdrakhmatov, President of the National Academy of Sciences of the Kyrgyz Republic, was elected as the new Chair of the Eco-Council.
The approved work plan of the Eco-Council for 2026 envisages:
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the creation of unified environmental literature,
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the establishment of a permanent working group on biodiversity conservation,
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the development of a concept for a pilot transboundary environmental and educational route,
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support for the organization of the first EAEU Youth Environmental Forum,
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intensification of efforts to attract funding for the implementation of key projects.
On December 18, the Eco-Council’s work continued at the Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve. A field visit to the reserve was conducted, followed by a roundtable discussion on the development of scientific research and environmental tourism in specially protected natural areas. The session concluded with the adoption of a final resolution, which formalized the decisions developed in Minsk.
December 22, 2025 at 22:29