No. 3 September 2002

34th ICWC MEETING

34th meeting of Interstate Coordination Water Commission was held under presidency of Deputy Minister, Director General of Water Management Department of Kyrgyz Republic B.T. Koshmatov on August 27, 2002 in Cholpon-Ata.

Meeting agenda provided consideration of the following questions:

1. About vegetation period and amplification of reservoirs’ operation regimes and limits in Amudarya and Syrdarya river basins.

2. Program of providing financial-economic activity of ICWC and its executive bodies for 2003:

• Plan of operational needs financing;
• Plan of design works;
• Plan of scientific works of ICWC and its organizations for 2003-2005 years;
• Plan of works of ICWC CMC and national metrological organizations;
• Plan of ICWC Training Center work;

3. About the program and mechanisms of perfecting basic directions of ICWC activity;

4. About participation of ICWC delegation in XVII ICID Congress on July 21-28, 2002, Montreal, Canada;

5. About approval of measures on realizing scientific–practical conference "Problems and ways of solution of water resources complex use and protection in Central-Asian region in Almaty on May 5-7, 2003;

6. Information on realization of component A-1 of GEF project;

7. About agenda and place of 35-th ICWC meeting realization.

The information of BWO "Amudarya" and BWO "Syrdarya" about completed work on realization of water intake limits and about actual operation regime of reservoir cascades on the rivers Amudarya and Syrdarya for the past growing period of the current year has been taken into consideration. It is entrusted to both BWO to undertake necessary measures on maintaining established water intake limits and prepare proposals on operation regime of reservoir cascades, which prevents increased releases in autumn-winter period as well as to present by 20.09.2002 to ICWC members for consideration.

The ICWC members have approved cost-estimate of BWO "Amudarya", BWO "Syrdarya", SIC ICWC and its branches for financing their activity for 2003. It is entrusted to all chiefs of the executive bodies to prepare cost-estimates with necessary grounding for their approval for next ICWC meeting.

Meeting participants have ratified: plan of SIC ICWC research works, plan of CMC ICWC works for 2003-2005, cost-estimate of their realization for 2003, plan of Training Center works for 2003.

ICWC members were entrusted to define SPA, design organizations – research work executors, with detailed elaboration of their subjects and account of their scientific and technical potential as well as take measures on financing specified works in complete volume.

Participants have approved basic directions "Program of ICWC activity perfection". SIC ICWC, BWO "Amudarya", BWO "Syrdarya" were entrusted to present by the next meeting the coordinated measures on ICWC activity perfection with concrete definition of terms and executors, in view of opinion of the country – ICWC members.

Meeting participants, having heard the information on ICWC delegation involvement in XVII a ICID Congress on July 21-28, 2002, Montreal (Canada), regard necessary to speed up organization of national ICID committees in CAR countries.
ICWC members have made decision to agree with proposal on preparation and realization of scientific - practical conference " Problems and ways of solution of water resources complex use and protection in Central-Asian region" on May 5-7, 2003 in Almaty. Staff of Organizational Committee and working group was authorized, and also plan of measures on conference preparation. The decision was taken to organize collection of the reports for this conference. Swiss International Cooperation and Coordination Agency and "Atakent-Expo" (Kazakhstan) agreed to sponsor this conference. The conference preparation process will be considered on subsequent ICWC meetings.

Also GEF Agency representative statement was taken into account about that World bank mission has agreed with possible prolongation of the contract with international adviser and recommended to consider together with ICWC working group on Coordination Commission meeting structure of the regional and national reports with adoption of the appropriate decision.
Next 35th ICWC meeting is planned to conduct in Turkmenistan in November, 2002.

PERFECTION OF STATE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN

According to Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan ? 931 from 28.08.2002. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Republic of Kazakhstan was reorganized to Ministry of Environment Conservation of RK.

Smakova Aitkul Baygaziyevna was assigned as Minister of Environment Conservation of RK.

The functions and powers in the field of water resources management, forest, fish and hunting economy were transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture of RK.

Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan was entrusted to ensure formation of Committee on water resources at Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

JOINT SEMINAR OF ICWC AND ESCATO ON STRATEGIC PLANNING AND SUSTAINABLE WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA

This seminar was held on August 27-30, 2002 in Cholpon-Ata.

The seminar participants have noted importance of works on using of strategic planning methods in questions of water resources development and sustainable management (SPM WRM) for Central Asia in view of specificity of region and each country.

Taking into account importance of the strategic planning approach, the participants have addressed with the request to ESCATO to organize special program with ICWC participation on applying SP WRM methods in the Aral basin countries. On the first stage of this project the seminar participants have addressed with the request to ESCATO and other donors to promote preparation of the high- and middle-level experts, having provided in ICWC Training Center program special course on SP WRM.

The seminar participants consider expedient realization in ICWC Training Center of series of regional seminars on SPM WRM and under ESCATO support study of existing materials on SPM WRM, and also realization of seminar for future lecturers (two men from each country and ICWC executive bodies)of this course.

The participants have shown interest to application of SPM methods for meeting priority requirements on base of pilot projects. As pilot objects two hydrographic basins in each state of Central Asia can be used.

PRINCIPLES OF ICWC INTERACTION WITH DONORS

ICWC has more than 10-year's experience of joint work with the international donor organizations. Since 1992, when EC IFAS together with ICWC has prepared, under involvement of number of the donors, "ASBP" program, which was authorized in 1994 by the Head of the States in Nukus as “Program of concrete actions".

In 2000-2001 ICWC repeatedly paid attention of donors and World bank to necessity of organizing cooperation of the donors among themselves and with ICWC with the purpose of increasing donor help efficiency.

Occurrence of the new active donors in cooperation with ICWC: CIDA, SD? etc. was considerably large degree of partnership and trust between both parties that has defined substantially their high efficiency.

Since February 2002 two joint meetings of donors and ICWC (in Alma-Ata and in Bukhara) were carried out (spent), where certain order of coordinating donor help and interactions with ICWC were planned.

At the end of 2001 ICWC at the meeting has ratified the list of the priority projects recommended to the donors. Twice these programs were discussed by the donors together with ICWC in Almaty in February and in Bukhara in April 2002.

Present proposals are following:

1. The subjects of donor help can be as regional water projects, interstate, covering interests of all countries over basins, covering interests of two or more countries, and national projects, and simultaneously bilateral projects, which are carried out in interests of two countries on the international waters or with the purpose of their effective use and protection. The priorities of water objects are defined by ICWC or water management bodies of the state.
2. The execution of joint works should be carried out, basically, by forces of local organizations under the program and with involvement (supervision) of foreign advisers or bodies on especially parity beginnings. Thus an indispensable condition of such works execution should be joint preparation of Terms of Reference, plan and contents of the project, execution schedules and outputs, according to which the payment and financing of works should be carried out.
   Thus the payment to both local executors and foreign partners should be carried out only under successful performance of works on stages. It will allow, to significant extent, reducing cost of projects and increasing their efficiency.
3. The coordination of donors among themselves and donors with ICWC bodies should be organized to increase efficiency of works realization. Such coordination can be organized by creation coordination council by the donors, which on a rotational basis will be headed by representatives of the basic organizations sponsoring the Aral program. This body, gathering periodically, will discuss course of works, maintenance of project financing, coordination between the projects, their integration and use of positive experience of one projects for others. This will allow to implement target systematic development of activity of all program participants and constantly supervise efficiency and maintenance of cooperation spirit between them, including donors.

ABOUT PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION «INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANGEMENT IN FERGANA VALLEY (IWRM-FERGANA)»

Seminar-training “Social mobilization and development of organizations” was held on 9-13 of September 2002 in Osh Division of ICWC Training Center. Seminar organized SIC ICWC and International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Training task was to organize Water Users Associations (WUA) and consolidate them on pilot plots of “IWRM-Fergana” project into Water Users Federations (WUF).

Training participants were informed in details with world experience of creating and perfecting WUA and WUF and also process of social population mobilization.

Training program should help participants to better understand of necessity and basic components of social mobilization, learn to apply knowledge and skills under formation and development of WUA, WUF, and WMO.