On June 20, 2023, the international conference “Financial and investment support of water resources rational use measures” was held in Ashgabat in a hybrid mode.
The forum was attended by the Deputy Heads of the relevant departments of Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, the UN Resident Coordinator in Turkmenistan, the Director of the Austrian Multi-Country Office, the UN Office for Project Services, the Coordinator of the UNECE national water dialogues, the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the Director of Scientific - Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia, Director of the Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Sustainable Development, representatives of the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), scientists and experts in the field of water resources and climate change.
Within the framework of the conference, the participants of the event exchanged views on the problems of rational use of water resources, including the issues of financing the water sector of Central Asia for the purpose of efficient water use in the context of climate change, investment support for coordinating interaction on water and energy in the region, as well as environmental, social and economic aspects of integrated water resources management.
Special attention was paid to the issues of regional cooperation for the implementation of the ESCAP resolution "Consideration of the conditions for the creation of a special United Nations program for the Aral Sea basin", as well as the interaction of countries in the field of cooperation on adaptation to climate change in Central Asia, including the preparation of a joint strategy on water resources management taking into account climatic factors.
The introduction of methods for the rational use of water resources and a comprehensive analysis to determine their correct application in order to meet the growing demand for water resources, especially in the face of climate change, is one of the urgent problems for the Central Asian region. In this context, the current conference was the first step towards the possibility of establishing an exchange of experience and knowledge on a regional basis, and served as a platform for the development of common opinions on a wide range of issues of financing activities aimed at rational water use.
As a result of the discussions, the possibilities of financing targeted projects and programs in the field of efficient water use were considered.
Based on the results of the conference, the Final Communiqué was adopted.
