The Spectacular Conclusion of the “Caspian Sea Action Week 2026” Forum

On August 11-12, 2026, the final events of the International Volunteer Caspian Sea Action Week 2026 took place.

As part of the Forum, the international “Caspian Hackathon 2026” was held, with about 50 teams participating. The main goal of the hackathon was to develop modern technological solutions for preserving the unique ecosystem of the Caspian Sea. During the hackathon, teams developed their ideas, created MVPs, refined technological solutions, and presented their projects to an expert jury. Following the technical selection, 30 projects advanced to the finals. The participants’ projects were presented. The jury carefully reviewed the applications and identified the winners, who were announced on August 12.

The concluding event of the penultimate day of the “Caspian Sea Action Week 2026” was the session: Open Mic in a TED format — a meeting between eco-volunteers and experts. Additionally, the “Caspian Talks” volunteer summit and a panel session for exchanging experiences and discussing pressing environmental challenges, moderated by Pakizat Sailaubekova, were held.

The final day of the Forum began with a creative event, namely the pouring into the Caspian Sea of water brought by delegates of the Caspian countries from their respective shores of the Caspian. There were 1-2 delegates from each country who, while pouring their water, offered good wishes to strengthen the friendship among the participating countries. With the words of Shirin Zhozhyyeva: “Goý Hzaryň her bir tolkuny parahatçylygyň we dostlugyň habaryny getirsin!” (“May every wave of the Khazar bring news of friendship and peace!”), Nurberdy Atayev poured the brought seawater from the Turkmen coast of the Caspian into the same sea off the coast of Aktau!

The closing ceremony of the International Volunteer Caspian Sea Action Week—2026 attended by Nurdaulet Kilybay, Akim of the Mangystau Region; Abilkair Baipakov, Akim of Aktau; Jeraldine Becchi, Head of Partnerships at the UN Volunteers Program Headquarters; Tatyana Mironyuk, Executive Director of the ALE “National Volunteer Network of the Republic of Kazakhstan”; and other official figures—became a colorful show featuring dance groups and famous pop singers of Aktau. They performed hits from the 8 participating countries, accompanied by video compilations of each country’s landmarks. At the end of the closing ceremony, to the joint anthem of the forum, country delegates took to the stage and, waving their national flags, bid farewell to the forum and their friends!

On the final day, August 12, time was allocated for representatives of the country delegations to deliver presentations on the environmental state of their respective countries. Berkeli Atayev, Director of PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat,” delivered a presentation: Regional Cooperation of Civil Society in Caspian Countries: Technologies and Innovations. In his speech, he noted that exactly on this day, 6 years ago, at the Fifth Caspian Summit in Aktau, the leaders of the Caspian countries determined the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Furthermore, August 12 is celebrated as the International Day of the Caspian Sea, timed to coincide with the entry into force of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Tehran Convention), which became effective on August 12, 2006.

“There is a need for unified technological and organizational platforms for effective data exchange and coordination. It is necessary to strengthen ties, foster economic development, and resolve cross-border problems, including through the efforts of civil society, to turn the Caspian region into an international center of innovation and sustainable development,” added B. Atayev.

Next followed the award ceremony for the winners of the International “Caspian Hackathon 2026”, who were:

Among the prize winners was the CaspianExpert team, bringing together representatives of the “Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan” and “Tebigy Kuwwat,” which presented a project for a mobile water quality testing laboratory.

Taking into account the strong team participation in the hackathon, PAE “Tebigy Kuwwat” and the “Green Alliance of Kyrgyzstan” officially signed a Memorandum of International Cooperation. The organizations had previous experience of business interactions in strengthening green diplomacy and ecosystem protection, but this time they decidedly chose to increase targeted bilateral cooperation in the near future, cementing their intentions by signing an official document.

In the evening, on behalf of the leadership of the Mangystau Region, a farewell dinner was organized for the forum delegates, featuring national dishes, traditional dances, and singing. Words of gratitude and good wishes were expressed by Abbat Urisbayev, Deputy Akim of the Region; Kalampyr Uazirova, Deputy Head of the Youth Policy Department of the Mangystau Region; foreign guests, and delegates from the participating countries.

The day concluded with a visit to the Open Air concert “Zhastarmen Birge” (“Together with Youth”), held at the open-air “Amphitheater” square on the occasion of celebrating International Youth Day. The celebration was attended by the Akim of Aktau, Abilkair Baipakov.

Ayna Atayeva.