The Center for European Studies of Yerevan State University and the Center for Ecological-Noosphere Studies (CENS) of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, within the frames of MoU signed between our organisations, jointly co-organized the 6th International Youth Autumn School on October 3–5, 2025, entitled “Environmental Sciences: Linking the ‘Healthy Soil’ Concept with Environmental Law through a European Best Practice lens.” The school was implemented as part of Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Studies: Democracy, Human Rights and Security - DeHuRiS project, WP3.
The Autumn School brought together young specialists, students from different departments of various universities, research institutions and public bodies. The main aim was to raise awareness about environmental protection - particularly soil health - by highlighting its scientific and legal significance, while also providing a platform for knowledge exchange among young researchers.
The school's transdisciplinary approach combined both theoretical and practical sessions on soil research, led by the CENS, and a series of sessions on legal aspects of soil and environment protection led by YSU. Seminars included lectures on EU and Armenian legislations and the country's commitment under the CEPA agreement. Special stress was made on "EU Soil Strategy for 2030 Reaping the benefits of healthy soils for people, food, nature and climate".
The School started with presentation of CENS activities by Dr Lilit Shakyan, CENS director and DeHuRiS project presentation by Kristine Gevorgyan, Project coordinator. Both speakers underlined the importance of this format of cooperation and how such events increase overall understanding of the importance of healthy soil and the ways to protect the environment around us. Involving a diverse group of participants from fields such as biology, geography, chemistry, cadaster, law can further contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of environmental issues and foster interdisciplinary solutions.
Opening session continued with theoretical sessions on day one delivered by leading experts in the field - Dr Lilit Sahakyan, Dr Olimpia Geghamyan, Dr Gevorg Tepanosyan and Dr Olga Belyaeva - where the scientific aspects of soil health preservation, the key challenges of environmental law, and existing gaps in national legislations where highlighted. The theoretical sessions were complimented by practical workshops, discussions, and group projects on day two and three, during which participants developed their own ideas and initiatives for soil conservation. The School concluded with a closing ceremony, where participants received certificates.
Once again, the initiative demonstrated that close cooperation between science, education, and policy provides an effective platform for jointly addressing environmental challenges and advancing the “Healthy Soil” concept in practice.