GenevaThe fourth Steering Committee meeting of the European Union (EU) Water Initiative National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on integrated water resource management (IWRM) in Kyrgyzstan took place on 18 May in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The meeting was organized by the State Committee on Water Economy and Land Reclamation of the Kyrgyz Republic and UNECE.
The National Water Policy Dialogue in Kyrgyz Republic started in 2008 but was interrupted by the political changes in 2010. Radical changes in the government and in the institutional structure for water management have taken place since and the renewal of NPD activities responded to the need to support continued water sector reform as well as the inter-agency dialogue and intersectoral cooperation.
The National Water Policy Dialogue meeting focused on institutional aspects of IWRM, water legislation, the use of economic instruments in a planned project of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in the Issyk Kul basin as well as the application of the UNECE/WHO Euro Protocol on Water and Health. The meeting was also used for exchange of information and coordination of donor-funded activities.
The NPD Steering Committee meeting was organized with the financial support of the Government of Finland, the European Commission and UNECE. Representatives of the OECD – a strategic partner in the EUWI, as well as the European Commission, Government of Finland, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the United Nations Development Programme (UNPD) and other international organizations and donors, attended the meeting.
For more information, please visit: www.unece.org/env/water/npd.
Note to editors
The National Water Policy Dialogue is the main operational instrument of the EU Water Initiative (EUWI), an international partnership that aims to contribute to the achievement of the water-related Millennium Development Goals. It is also a part of the UNECE Water Convention Workplan for 2010–2012. The UNECE is the EUWI strategic partner responsible for coordination of National Policy Dialogues on IWRM in countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the strategic partner for water supply and sanitation and water management financing. Implementation of the EUWI National Policy Dialogues on IWRM is financially supported by the European Commission, the Governments of Austria, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland, and the UNECE.
Ref: ECE/ENV/11/P20