The main objectives of SIC ICWC are as follows:

• Coordination of all joint activities in the region;
• Permanent providing information to all ICWC members about all changes in the field of water management;
• Strengthening legal base and capacity building;
• Strengthening collaboration in water resources management and use based on the up to date world experience;
• Initiating and coordination of regional projects;
• Organization of the Training Center ICWC activity.

According to the above objectives SIC ICWC together with BWOs and Secretariat arrange ICWC quarterly meetings under chair of representatives of different states. By September 2001 37 meetings were conducted.

Among the main issues considered at the meetings are the following: developing the common water management policy and its major guidelines taking into account the interests of the population and sectors of economy, rational water resources use and conservation, programs designed to increase the amount of water available in the river basins and measures ensuring their implementation; approving annual water use limits for every state regarding main water sources, operational schedules of large reservoirs; managing water allocation and its adjustment according to the actual water availability and current water management situation.

ICWC works on the ecological programs connected with the Aral Sea desiccation and water sources exhaustion, setting up annual water supply to the Aral Sea as well as sanitary flows in rivers and canals.

At the meetings the following issues are discussed: draft interstate agreements on common water resources use, water use legal aspects, development of the common information base on water resources use, irrigated lands monitoring, hydro meteorological aspects, scientific-technical provision of the regional water systems, etc.

As a result of the work of the conciliatory commissions composed of Central Asian states’ representatives, draft agreements:

• “About strengthening institutional structure of water resources management, development and protection in the Aral sea basin”
• “About formation and functioning of national and basin database on water resources complex use and protection in the Aral sea basin”;
• “About main principles of joint and rational use of transboundary water resources in Syrdarya basin”;
• “About transboundary water protection, their quality control and ecological sustainability maintenance in the region”;

are at present being elaborated with a view of submitting them to IFAS and ICWC for consideration.

By ICWC 30^th meeting decision thematic working groups (legal, institutional, financial-economic, technical and training) have been created; main directions of their activity are approved.

Regional information system on water and land resources management has been created and being developed as well as the national data bases with realization in Internet. Base of reference on the Aral Sea basin water resources management has been created.

Along with scientific research, SIC ICWC together with its branches facilitates inter-branch collaboration process in the region, taking an active part in inter-branch meetings, conferences, commissions on integrated water management in the Amudarya and Syrdarya basin in interest of power engineering, irrigation and environment.

SIC ICWC facilitates IFAS efforts in the regional integration for the Aral Sea problems solution.

SIC ICWC jointly with research and design institutes of Central Asia coordinates and arranges research within the framework of ICWC international program. This program is approved by ICWC once every two or three years, financed by Ministries of Agriculture and Water Resources and aimed at scientific grounding for the main elements of ICWC policy in development of irrigation, water saving and water resources management and use without conflicts.

At 25^th ICWC meeting in Bishkek new program for 2000-2002 was approved “The problem of sustainable water resources management in the Aral Sea Basin on the threshold of XXI century” in which all institutes of the region are involved.

The following topics can be considered the most important: development of methods for rational use of water and land resources with regard to its sustainability and in connection with UN “Vision XXI” program; development of recommendations on national planning of water resources use; water-energy consortium activity; water resources integrated management; common set of mathematical models of the basin and planning zones with common interface; development of economic-mathematical models and data base for effective re-use of drainage water for irrigation in the region.

Research outputs serve as a ground for water practice perfection and were presented at the workshops and in SIC ICWC publications.