15.09.2023

On September 15, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, at the invitation of President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, took part in the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, as well as the First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev and the UN Special Representative — Head of United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia Kakha Imnadze attended the event chaired by the Tajik side.

In accordance with the agenda, the outcomes of Tajikistan’s chairmanship of IFAS in 2020-2023 were summed up, views were exchanged on current issues of improving the environmental, water management and socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea basin, and prospects for further expansion of mutually beneficial cooperation within the Fund were discussed.

The President of Uzbekistan noted the successful holding of the International Water Conference, co-chaired by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan at the headquarters of the United Nations. As a result of this historic event, it was possible to attract the attention of the entire international community to vital issues and problems in the field of water.

The Head of our State analyzed the role and significance of this structure over the 30 years that have passed since its founding in addressing issues of countering environmental challenges, developing coordinated approaches to the implementation of joint programs and projects in the Aral Sea basin.

“The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea is, first of all, a unique experience of multilateral cooperation between the countries of Central Asia in solving one of the most pressing problems on a global scale,” noted the President.

In the context of the emergence of new challenges and threats due to global climate change, it was emphasized that the demand for such regional cooperation is even greater. The problem of water shortage in Central Asia has become acute and irreversible, and it will only get worse.

The Leader of Uzbekistan, noting the importance of the tasks of legal and institutional support for the effectiveness of multilateral partnerships, outlined a number of practical proposals for further interaction in the water and environmental sphere.

As part of the work to further improve the legal framework and modernize the institutional mechanisms of the Fund, it was proposed to conduct an inventory and revise the main documents and agreements, analyze the current structure and prepare proposals to improve the coordination and effectiveness of the work of the Fund’s organizations, develop “Rules and Procedures” that clearly regulate issues of cooperation and activities of the Fund.

“It is important that the process of development and reform of the Fund takes place on the basis of the principle of intersectorality - an integrated approach “water - energy - food”, taking into account modern environmental challenges,” the President emphasized.

Expressing concern about the progress of the implementation of the Fourth Action Program to assist the countries of the Aral Sea basin, which is implemented mainly through national plans, the President of Uzbekistan proposed to entrust the Fund Board with its critical review and preparation of “road maps” for the implementation of each regional project, identifying the volumes and sources of financing, as well as agreed schedules for their implementation.

The need to strengthen systemic interaction on issues of attracting investments, technologies and technical assistance to promote priority regional projects was also noted.

In this regard, it was proposed that each country undertake obligations to attract external assistance to regional projects, defining specific targets, and, with the coordination of the presiding party, develop mechanisms for attracting and distributing investments and technical assistance.

In addition, it was proposed to convene a special regional conference in order to accelerate the implementation of joint projects with the involvement of foreign partners, leading international institutions and donor organizations.

Uzbek President emphasized that in order to promote a coordinated policy on integrated management of water and energy resources in the region, it is advisable, with the participation of international consultants, to devise long-term development Plans for basins of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.

“Particular attention should be paid to organizing work with young people at the regional level in matters of creating a culture of respect for water and other natural resources, supporting youth initiatives and start-ups through the adoption of a special program. We count on the close involvement of the Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in the consideration of these issues,” noted the Head of our State.

Separately focusing on issues of cooperation in preventing further degradation of ecosystems, primarily in the Aral Sea region, the President of our country noted that large-scale work is currently being carried out in Uzbekistan to improve the environmental and social situation in the Aral Sea region.

“In the last few years, forest plantings have been carried out on an area of 1.7 million hectares on the dry bottom of the Aral Sea. In the next two years, it is planned to create protective green screens on another 400 thousand hectares. To mitigate the consequences of the Aral disaster, as well as to conserve biodiversity in the Aral Sea region, natural parks, reserves and state reserves were created on an area of more than 3.5 million hectares”, said Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

In addition, comprehensive measures to improve water use efficiency are presented. Over the past 7 years, water-saving technologies have been introduced on an area of more than 1 million hectares, which is about a quarter of all irrigated land in the country.

Partners were invited to strengthen cooperation in the field of water conservation, identifying it as one of the priorities of the Fund. In order to comprehensively consider all these issues, establish a Regional Platform for regular meetings of the Ministers of Water Resources, Energy, Environment and Economy.

The President of Uzbekistan also shared his vision regarding the construction of the Kushtepa canal. It was noted that a new participant in the water use process has appeared in the region, and therefore it was proposed to form a joint working group to study all aspects of the construction of the canal and its impact on the water regime of the Amu Darya River with the involvement of research institutes of our countries, as well as to consider the issue of involving representatives of Afghanistan in the regional dialogue on the sharing of water resources.

At the end of his speech, the Head of our State expressed his conviction that the implementation of the initiatives put forward and documents adopted at the meeting will increase efficiency and expand mutually beneficial cooperation within the Fund for the benefit of our peoples and the prosperity of the entire Central Asian region.

The presidents of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and a member of the Government of Kyrgyzstan also spoke at the meeting, and a message from the Secretary-General of the United Nations was read out.

Following the event, the heads of the IFAS founding states signed the following documents:

- Dushanbe statement by the Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea;

- Decision of the Council of Heads of IFAS Founder States on the results of the chairmanship of the Republic of Tajikistan in the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea;

- Decision of the Council of Heads of IFAS Founder States on the election of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as President of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea for 2024-2026;

- Decision of the Council of Heads of IFAS Founder States on activities to improve the organizational structure and legal framework of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

The IFAS chairmanship for 2024-2026 moved on to the Republic of Kazakhstan.