ABSTRACT
This chapter describes how Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC) emphasizes the importance of information sharing, mutual memberships, and regional coherence to reduce the potential for violent conflict in Central Asia. It explores the general structure of ENVSEC and describes its activities in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan as an example of how the initiative focuses on and strengthens connections that already exist among parties. The chapter examines ENVSEC's implementation of the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and its application of overlapping international memberships, which resulted in improved cooperation between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in identifying, at an early stage, possible impacts from the activities of a proposed new copper-gold mine. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan are parties to the Espoo Convention and are improving their application of its provisions. The ENVSEC project helped the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Kazakhstan to undergo training on the proper implementation of transboundary environmental impact assessments in the context of the Espoo Convention.
