From May 6th to 8th, 2025, the Hrant Dink Foundation (HDF) hosted an Environment and Climate Dialogue Programme in Istanbul, bringing together experts from Armenia and Turkey. The programme was designed as part of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to foster direct dialogue between the two neighboring countries, and aimed at exploring opportunities for cross-border collaboration around shared environmental challenges.

On the first day of the visit, the experts from Armenia met with two of Turkey’s leading institutions in environmental policy and advocacy. At the TEMA Foundation, the group engaged in a discussion on topics such as sustainable aforestation, environmental education, and grassroots mobilisation. The group also visited the Istanbul Policy Center (IPC), where the hosts shared IPC’s interdisciplinary research and projects on climate change, democratic governance, and environmental education materials.

The programme’s central component was the needs assessment meeting, held on May 7th under the title “Two Sides of the Border: Armenia-Turkey’s Shared Environment.” Moderated by Dr. Sinan Erensü, the meeting brought together 18 experts from both countries, including ecologists, climate policy experts, educators, and academics. Discussions focused on the main environmental issues in both contexts, such as waste management, water resource management and particularly the construction of dams along joint waterways, biodiversity along the border region and disaster relief methods. The diversity of participants, both in disciplinary and geographic terms, made the meeting especially productive and comprehensive. The meeting identified common focus areas and provided an open space for exploring joint policy thinking, network building, and possibilities for future collaboration. It also served as a step toward producing a needs assessment report targeted at environmental actors and policymakers in both countries.

Following the meeting, the group visited Postane and Mekanda Adalet Derneği (Center for Spatial Justice), two institutions dedicated to environmental and spatial justice in Turkey. These visits provided an opportunity to learn from community-centered initiatives on urban common spaces, participatory planning, and advocacy.

On the final day, the group visited the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory, followed by a meeting with the community radio station Apaçık Radio. During this meeting, the experts from Armenia had the opportunity to learn about the Radio’s role in addressing environmental and climate issues in Turkey. The programme concluded with a field visit to Validebağ Grove, where participants met with the local activist group, Validebağ Volunteers, who have been working for 26 years to protect one of Istanbul’s largest and most ecologically significant green spaces.

The Environment and Climate Dialogue Programme created a unique space for the cross-border exchange of expertise and creation of a network, marking an important step in advancing dialogue between environment and climate experts in Armenia and Turkey.