No. 35 (78) November 2004

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT
IN CENTRAL ASIA

A workshop under the “Strategic Planning and Management of Water Resources Development in Central Asia” Project took place on 11-12 November 2004 in ICWC Training Center (Tashkent).

Project Director, SIC ICWC Director Prof. V.A. Dukhovny, representatives of regional and national project working groups made presentations. The workshop participants note:

All the countries in the region moved ahead in understanding peculiarities of the current situation in water sector, characterized by giving up the previous administrative top-down management up to the very end of limitation and transiting to management on bottom-up (requirements for water) and top-down (restrictions) principle with matching them at certain hierarchy level. In this connection, the countries in the region develop to some degree the forms of water user self-government, realizing that transiting to IWRM is much wider than only transiting to hydrographic management. Certain steps are being taken in organizational, legal and financial formation of this development direction. Adopting water code in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and developing it in Kyrgyzstan evidence that as well as the decision of the Uzbek Government on transition to basin management of water resources.

In the context of Central Asia, the process of transition to IWRM requires implementing clear strategic planning (SP) for the prospect, oriented to:

• achieving long-term stable water supply to the whole great number of water users and nature in the context of changing climatic, hydrologic, economic situation in the while serious destabilizing factors are available;
• contribution of water sector to the efficiency of the entire social production and productivity in each country, from the positions of struggle against poverty, environmental safety, and social development. This extremely intricate problem is not solved from the position of future interests as yet;
• ensuring joint coordinated transboundary water resources management in the Aral Sea basin;
• significantly improving the state of the environment in the region.

It is expedient to consider long-term development of the region and separate countries as well as separate zones in the process of SP IWRM from the position of analysis and prediction of developing the four main potentials that provide sustainable development: natural, human, production and financial.

To this end, a special attention in SP IWRM should be given to creation of a certain political climate, public participation and management techniques. IWRM includes resource management, water requirements management, infrastructure management, and targeted influence on development potentials.

In the next activities related to development of national and regional IWRM plans, SPM techniques will be developed in detail taking into account analysis of destabilizing factors:

• population growth;
• growth in needs of economic sectors for water;
• weakly predicted change in water resources, especially from the positions of extreme fluctuation intensification (drought – floods);
• reduction in land productivity under the influence of exhaustion, reclamation trouble (salinization and waterlogging);
• decline in operational capability of on-farm canals owing to the outage of its separate elements.

It is expedient to improve IWRM development plan based on the results and vision of the IWRM-Ferghana Project and other integration projects in the region.

The participants noted special role of broadly familiarizing personnel of water sector not only at higher level but also at medium level and lower organizations with SP IWRM principles, and involving specialists of related sectors (finance planning, foreign ministry, ministry of justice, municipal economy, power and others) in training.

Remarks stated in the process of discussion will be taken into account in final version of report.

The participants expressed gratitude to ESCAP for help in familiarization with techniques for SPM in the basin, and asked to promote potential involvement of donors in further development of SP IWRM practices application in the basin states.

WORKSHOP ON REGIONAL INFORMATION ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK IN CENTRAL ASIAN STATES AND RUSSIA – CARNET

A workshop on Regional Information Environmental Network in Central Asian States and Russia (CARNet) took place in Bishkek, 13-15 November 2004. The workshop was organized in a close partnership with the “ICT for Development” Program and Environment Program of the UNDP Regional Center in Bratislava, UNDP Office in the Kyrgyz Republic, and Subregional Civil Society Information Network on Environment and Sustainable Development in Central Asian States and Russia (CARNet).

“Subregional Civil Society Information Network on Environment and Sustainable Development in Central Asian States and Russia (CARNet), called CARNet - Central Asia and Russia Network, is a voluntary, independent and nonprofit association of organizations, experts, journalists, academic structures and representatives of civil society from Central Asian states and Russia.

CARnet is designed for exchange and broad dissemination of information on diverse aspects of activities among civil society aimed at performing the regional environment action plan and initiatives on environment and safety.

In addition, the objective of the network is also to develop information mechanisms to influence decision making by the national governments in the region on ecological problems requiring immediate interference.

The workshop participants discussed the results of network activities for the period from June to November 2004, and put forward proposals for 2005 plan. Matters in respect of making a policy for information interaction and partnership between network members, consolidating partner efforts for information provision of activities of civil society organizations to perform the regional environment action plan and initiatives on environment and safety, and, finally, forming national information councils were considered as well.

The workshop was opened on 13 November by Jerzy Skuratowicz, UNDP permanent representative in Kyrgyzstan. Yuri Misnikov (UNDP, Bratislava) made a review on “New directions and policy in the field of information exchange and content management”.

The presentations were made:

• Kanat Djanuzakov (Ministry of Environment and Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic) - “Information Exchange and Interaction between State Structures and NGOs”
• Oleg Pechenyuk (EAP Task Force) - “Public Participation in Development and Implementation of Programs for Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development”
• Zharas Takenov (UNDP, Kyrgyzstan) - “CARNet Project: History, Development, Activities”
• Yevgeni Klimov (Fund for Ecological Culture Integration, Kazakhstan) – “CARNet Research in Information Priorities and Needs of Decision Makers in the Field of Environment and Sustainable Development”
• Irina Chistyakova (“Inform-Kultura”, Kyrgyzstan) - “Research on Problems of Climate Change in Information Field in Kyrgyzstan and Population Information Level”
• Mikhail Filonov (UNDP Kazakhstan PPNA) – “UNDP Kazakhstan Particularly Protected Natural Areas Project”
• Aynura Djoroyeva (Agency “Expert”, Kyrgyzstan) - “Kyrgyzstan Development Gateway Project: Partnership and Problems of Information Filling in the Internet “
• Vladimir Grebnev (NNF Kyrgyzstan) – “CARNet Strategy Making. CARNet Information and Partner Policies. National Information Councils: Goals, Objects, Possible Staff”

The remaining part of the day was dedicated to training on “Preparation of publications for Web” and discussions on making a strategy for CARNet development and partnership and “CARNet, NGOs and State Structures – what can we give each other”?

On 14 November the presentations of portals and projects that can be CARNet partners were made:

• Muratbek Baykhodjayev (adviser of the Kyrgyz Prime Minister) – “Information Interaction of Networks in the Field of Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in Central Asia on Example of UNDESA Network”
• Bakhtiyor Begmuradov (ADB Project, Tajikistan) - “Cooperation of CARNet and ADB Project “Technical Assistance for Capacity Building E.I.M.S. in Central Asian Countries”
• Iskander Beglov (CAREWIB Project) – “Central Asia Regional Water Information Base (CAREWIB)”
• Georgi Khachiyev (“Central Asian Gateway” Project, Uzbekistan) – “Central Asian Gateway Portal and Project”

The second half of the day was dedicated to training on “Interactivity of web resources and moderation of discussions”. The training was conducted by Andrei Marusov (Estonian Academy of Electronic Control).

On 15 November, recommendations for improving the portal structure were made and discussed. Moderators responsible for information blocks were assigned. Discussion on making up a plan of the CARNet activities in 2005 was carried out.

THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE OF TAJIKISTAN IS 80

On 21 November the Ministry of Agriculture of Tajikistan will celebrate its 80th anniversary. Head Manpower Policy Department of the Ministry Sherali Vazirov reported that on this occasion an exhibition will be opened in the building of the Ministry where achievements of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agrarian University of the republic, Tajik Academy of Agricultural Sciences made for the years of independence are to be presented. That day a grand meeting will be held as well, in which representatives from Dushanbe city administration, deputies of both the Parliament Chambers, representatives of diverse ministries are to take part. It is also expected that about 380 guests from all the regions in the country, and those who some time filled posts of Minister and Deputy Minister of Agriculture will come to the celebration.

V. Kondrashova, “Asia-Plus”