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Phase I

Project "Regional dialogue and cooperation on water resources management in Central Asia"

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Background

Efficient and sustainable management of water resources in the five countries of Central Asia – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – remains highly important for political, economic and environmental cooperation in this sub-region and beyond. Climate change impacts loom and call for improved cooperation. Moreover, water quality aspects which have been neglected in the past are increasingly recognized as being of high relevance for sub-regional cooperation. The institutional and legal frameworks for water resources management established in the early nineties face difficulties in addressing the growing differences over water release regimes and water distribution in Central Asia.

At the first "Water Unites" conference (1 April 2008, Berlin), the German Foreign Minister H.E. Mr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier launched the Berlin Water Process. Relying on the political will of the Central Asian countries, the process aimed to be a new start of international efforts to find effective, long-term solutions to the complex problems related to the management of water resources in Central Asia. The process is an important part of the water and environment pillar of the European Union’s Central Asia Strategy.
The Berlin Water Process continued with a special international conference “Water Unites – Strengthening Regional Cooperation on Water Management in Central Asia” (Almaty, 17–18 November 2008), organized by the Government of Germany, UNECE, the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (EC IFAS) and UNDP.
In 2009, the Programme “Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia” (Eng, Rus) was launched as the operational element of the Berlin Water Process. This Programme was carried out by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ – German International Cooperation) on behalf of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Programme, implemented over the period from 2009 to 2011, included three major areas: fostering regional institutional cooperation; strengthening transboundary river basin management; and national pilot projects for improved water management.
The UNECE led the implementation in the first major area of the Programme through the “Regional Dialogue and Cooperation on Water Resources Management” project (2009-2011). The UNECE involvement built on its neutral engagement in the regional discussion on water management over the past few years and relied on the solid framework of UNECE environmental conventions.

 
Goal and components

The goal of the project “Regional Dialogue and Cooperation on Water Resources Management” (2009-2011) was to empower the countries of Central Asia to develop and implement mutually acceptable, long-term solutions to improve cooperation on transboundary water resources. Enhancing the regional dialogue and strengthening the capacity of regional institutions for water resources management were the major objectives.

The project included several interrelated components. Through the first component, Regional Institutions on Water Management, the countries of Central Asia were supported in analyzing the needs for reforms in the legal framework and overall institutional setting for transboundary water management, with a focus on the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea (IFAS).The project facilitated the development of proposals for adaptation of mandates, objectives and responsibilities of regional water institutions. The commitment to further improve the organizational structure and legal framework of the IFAS, expressed by the Presidents of five Central Asian states at the IFAS summit (Almaty, 28 April 2009), provided a solid basis for this direction of work.

The second component, International Water Law, involved building capacity on international water law and policy. It initiated a dialogue between the five states of Central Asia about the needs for stable legal frameworks for water management in Central Asia. This work was based upon existing frameworks such as the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, the UNECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents, and other relevant international legal instruments in the area of water management.
The last component, Water Monitoring and Data Exchange, provided support to regional institutions and representatives of five Central Asian countries in strengthening water monitoring and improving data exchange, in close coordination with existing UNECE and other projects.

 
Highlights
 
Events
 
Statements and documents
  • Statement by Mr. Andrey Vasilyev, Officer in Charge of the UNECE, at the Conference "Blue Diplomacy for Central Asia", Berlin, 7-8 March 2012 (also in Rus)
  • Statement by Mr. Marton Krasznai, UNECE Regional Adviser, at the panel discussion during the Conference "Blue Diplomacy for Central Asia", Berlin, 7-8 March 2012
  • Documentation of the Expert Group on the revision of the statutory documents of IFAS, including the Conceptual Elements for Strengthening the Institutional and Legal Basis of IFAS (draft)
  • "Strengthening water management and transboundary water cooperation in Central Asia: the role of UNECE Conventions" (Conference “Environment for Europe”, Astana, 21-23 September 2011) (ECE/ASTANA.CONF/2011/INF/5) (Eng, Rus)
  • Statement by Mr. Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, at the Second meeting of the Expert Group on the revision of statutory documents of IFAS, Geneva, Switzerland, 22-23 March 2011
  • Statement by Mr. Andrey Vasilyev, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNECE, at the High-level Meeting on the Third Aral Sea Basin Program, Almaty, 15 December 2010
  • Statement by Mr. Marton Krasznai, UNECE Regional Adviser, at the Consultations on Enhancing Security in Afghanistan and Central Asia through Regional Cooperation on Water, European Parliament, Brussels, 7 December 2010
  • Statement by Mr. Ján Kubiš, UNECE Executive Secretary, at the High Level Public Hearing, European Parliament, Brussels, 12 October 2010
  • Statement by Mr. Ján Kubiš, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, during the high level dialogue meeting “Implementation of the IFAS Summit Conclusions and Outcomes of the UN Secretary-General’s visit to Central Asia”, Ashgabat, 20 July 2010
  • Documentation of the Working Group on Strengthening Institutional and Legal Frameworks and Aral Sea Basin Programme - 3 including the Discussion Paper "Strengthening the Institutional and Legal Frameworks of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea: Review and Proposals"
  • Opening Statement by Mr. Ján Kubiš, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe at the International Coordination Meeting “Responding to the Compound Crisis in Central Asia: a Framework for Action”, 20-21 July 2009, Almaty
  • Statement by Mr. Ján Kubiš, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, during the Coordination Meeting on the Follow-up to the IFAS Summit in Almaty, Ashgabat, 16 July 2009
 
Press releases, articles and publications
 
Links
Last update date: January 6, 2021