No. 20 (104) December 2005

WORKING MEETING TO DISCUSS REGIONAL WATER POLICY UNDER THE ADB PROJECT “IMPROVEMENT OF SHARED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN CENTRAL ASIA”

The meting took place in Tashkent on 5-7 December 2005.

Having heard the greetings of Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekstan S.R. Khamrayev and Head of the ADB Office in Uzbekistan S. О’Sallivan, papers of Prof. V.A. Dukhovny (SIC ICWC), M.K. Khamidov (BWO “Syrdarya”) and R. Abdukayumov (ADB), the participants of the working meeting discussed the matters on the agenda and texts of draft agreements on the Syrdarya river basin and in regard to the issues of joint water resources management in the Aral Sea basin.

The participants agreed to the scope and dates of project activities, taking into account the ADB proposal for extending the project time up to 1 January 2007.

The participants noted that in accordance with the protocol decision of the round table dated 1 November 2005 in Almaty, the NWG membership was reconsidered by the Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen and Uzbek parties. Only the renewed NWG membership for Tajikistan is lacking.

National reports on analysis of the acting mechanisms for water resources management were prepared and submitted to the meeting. However, they did not presented the results of the inventory of costs and activities being carried out by each country for the sake of interstate cooperation. Furthermore, the national reports do not meet the format proposed by the ADB.

In this connection, the participants agreed to revise the reports with inclusion of the inventory results by 25 December 2005, and adjust them with all the members of the NWGs and RWG by 25 January 2006.

In view of that all the draft agreements have uncertainties in terminology, the participants agreed to establish a working subgroup for terminology, which will consist of representatives from the NWGs and RWG with the following membership:

• For the Kazakh NWG: M. Bekniyazov
• For the Kyrgyz NWG: Y.P. Sakhvayeva
• For the Tajik NWG: M.O. Aminjanov
• For the Turkmen NWG: G.O. Khanmedov
• For the Uzbek NWG: N. Sheraliyev
• For BWO “Syrdarya”: A.G. Loktionov
• For BWO “Amudarya”: O.G. Lysenko
• For SIC ICWC: Y.Kh. Rysbekov
• For Center “Energy”: S.P. Bychikhina

Based on opinion exchange, the subgroup will consider a preliminary list of terms to be prepared up to 25 December 2005 and sent to subgroup members for approval, revision and supplementation. The first version of the glossary to prepared by 25 January 2006 will be discussed at the working meeting of the RWG.

The participants agreed to submit by 25 December 2005 remarks on reports prepared by the RWG (“RWG Summary Report” and “Inventory of activities carried out by CARs on shared water resources management in the Syrdarya river basin”) and distributed among the participants of the working meting.

The participants considered and approved the approaches for modeling alternative management and development scenarios as a mechanism for reaching a consensus, and found it expedient to include this work in the program with a view to revise the set of models making them usable for the working groups in developing their recommendations for water resources management and development.

Having discussed the regional reports, all available drafts and the acting 1998 Agreement on water-power resources use in the Syrdarya river basin”, the participants developed a draft of preliminary version of Agreement on the Syrdarya river basin, to which NWG and RWG members will submit their remarks.

The participants decided to charge the NWGs and BWO “Amudara” in association with SIC ICWC to analyze the actual state of water resources management in the Amudarya river basin at regional level and submit proposals for necessary structure of the Agreement on water resources management in the Amudarya river basin.

The participants reviewed the texts of a draft Agreement on Formation and Functioning of National, Basin and Regional Databases on Integrated Water Resources Use and Protection in the Aral Sea Basin and a draft Agreement on Strengthening the Organizational Structure of Transboundary Water Resources Management, Protection and Development in the Aral Sea Basin, bearing in mind the conclusion of the regional report concerning the absence of principal disagreements in the remarks on texts and possibility of reaching a consensus on them in the near future.

Amendments removing the remarks were introduced into the text of the draft Agreement on Formation and Functioning of National, Basin and Regional Databases on Integrated Water Resources Use and Protection in the Aral Sea Basin. SIC ICWC was committed to prepare a final text of the draft and distribute it to the participants up to the end of the year; ask NWG members to adjust this text with their governing bodies up to the end of January 2006 in order to finally discuss the draft at the next round table meeting.

Based on the held discussion, SIC ICWC will introduce necessary amendments into the draft Agreement on Strengthening the Organizational Structure of Transboundary Water Resources Management, Protection and Development in the Aral Sea Basin, and submit it to NWG members in January 2006 in order to thrash out it at the next round table meeting.

RESOLUTION OF THE 3RD REGIONAL STAKEHOLDER MEETING OF GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP FOR CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

8-9 December 2005, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

The 3rd Regional Stakeholder Meeting of the Global Water Partnership for Caucasus (GWP CACENA) considered the results of the activities carried out by the Regional Network of CACENA Partnership in 2005 and the work program for 2006.

More than 45 representatives from water and environmental agencies, scientific and design organizations, leading NGOs in seven countries in the region (representatives from Armenia for weather conditions could not come to Tashkent), and representatives from regional and international organizations and the GWP Secretariat took part in the meeting.

The participants recognized that the year 2005 was a stage on the path to introducing IWRM principles in Central Asian and Caucasian countries. This is a period, when the countries transited to more dynamic practical actions for creating conditions for IWRM. The participants approved the general report on the activities of the partnership submitted by V. Sokolov, and country reports submitted by national coordinators.

Among the results of 2005 activities, the participants particularly noted the efforts for capacity building to support IWRM planning process at national level under the sponsorship of the Finish Government. Two regional seminars on key IWRM directions were held at the ICWC Training Center in Tashkent. Specialists from seven states in the region took part in them. The eighth country, Kazakhstan, did not participated because its training is conducted under the UNDP project. The GWP Guide “Catalyst for Changes, a Guide for Developing IWRM Strategies and Water Productivity” (GWP publication, December 2004) was used as a basis for training. These courses for trainers were focused on the following IWRM aspects: organizational issues of water reforms and how to organize public participation; legal and financial aspects of water resources management; technical and managerial innovations and tools. The trained trainers organized 3-4 national seminars in each country in June-October with the assistance of RTCC members with a view to broader experience dissemination. It is important that the schedule for giving trainings in the countries concurs with the activities for conducting a policy dialogue and a campaign for raising awareness.

The participants approved the activities of the GWP CACENA towards the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico. It was especially noted the fact that the GWP CACENA in association with the ICWC acts as a key coordinator of preparatory process for the Forum in Central Asia with the support of the Japan Water Forum and Organizing Committee in the Mexico City. The participants recommended to approve the text of the paper “Challenges and Actions for Integrated Approaches in Central Asia” in final version (dated 7 December 2005), which is available on the website at www.cawater-info.net for submitting at the Forum in Mexico City in March 2006.

The participants pointed out that a national water partnership network was established in 2005 in Armenia, and it is operating as active as that in Kazakhstan (2004). The other countries came to practical formation of national partnerships. In this connection, having discussed the proposal of the GWP CACENA Secretariat concerning a new structure for network coordination, the participants came to the following understanding:

• In exchange for the RTCC, a new structure of management – a Regional Council for the Water Partnership in Central Asia and Caucasus, consisting of eight members (one representative from each state in the region), headed by the Chairman of the GWP CACENA, is to be established in 2006. Along with that, to coordinate technical policy and maintain the partnership network activities, a Technical Committee consisting of leading specialists in IWRM from the countries in the region is to be set up. To administer the activities of the partnership network, the secretariat that should be headed by the Executive Secretary of the GWP CACENA, is to be kept at the host-institution.
• For transiting to the new structure, the participants charge the secretariat headed by V.I. Sokolov to organize in early 2006 registration of all partners in the region by using a special form, and create a database on partners of the GWP CACENA.
• National coordinators should finish official formation and accreditation of national water partnerships in all countries of the region, involving initiative groups by the end of 2006.
• By the next GWP CACENA Stakeholder Meeting in December 2006, all the countries should send representative of country to the regional council.
• Before the transition to the new organizational structure, the governance and coordination of the GWP CACENA activities in 2006 will be fulfilled by the secretariat and chairman of the RTCC Vadim Sokolov.

The participants considered the 2006 work program of GWP CACENA, which includes five directions of activities in accordance with the outputs confirmed by the GWP Secretariat (Stockholm):

1. Assistance to develop a water policy and development strategy at appropriate levels of water resources management.
2. Assistance to develop programs and tools for IWRM in accordance with regional and national demands.
3. Relationship between the GWP and other networks, sectors and programs.
4. Development and strengthening of water partnership at different levels.
5. Effective management of the GWP network in the region.

While discussing all the positions of the work plan, the participants, based on a consensus, agreed to confirm the submitted program. It was decided to charge the GWP CACENA Secretariat to prepare, based on the adopted program, particular Terms of Reference for each position and contracts for fulfilling operations with account of the stipulated terms. Work progress should be regularly reported at the meetings of the regional council and TC, and the final report should be submitted at the annual stakeholder meeting of the GWP CACENA in December 2006.

The participants appreciate the role of the assistance rendered by the Finnish Government to the implementation of IWRM principles in the countries of the region, and express their thanks to the GWP Secretariat for productive organizational and financial support of operation of the regional partnership network.

The participants thank the Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources of Uzbekistan and organizers for hospitality and providing high level of the conference activity.