SESSION ON HYDRO-DIPLOMACY AND THE ROLE OF REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN THE “SILK ROAD OF KNOWLEDGE” CONFERENCE
On February 24, 2023, SIC ICWC jointly with the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands), Stimson Center (USA) and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Belgium) organized the session “Hydro-Diplomacy: Strengthening Regional Water Institutions in Central Asia” within the framework of the international online conference “The Silk Road of Knowledge: Science Meets Green Policy”.
Farwa Aamer from the Stimson Center spoke about the research on the role of transboundary water management institutions in Central and South Asia carried out as a part of a current project on hydro-diplomacy coordinated by Stimson Center and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Dr. Dinara Ziganshina, Director of SIC ICWC and Jenniver Sehring, Senior Lecturer of the IHE-Delft Institute for Water Education presented the main conclusions and recommendations contained in the policy brief “Strengthening transboundary water institutions in Central Asia”. Particularly, the achievements, challenges and potential future directions of transboundary water governance institutions in the Aral Sea River basin, as well as the role that the EU and other major international development partners have played and can play in the future were examined.
Dipak Gyawali from the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology spoke about the experiences of regional institutions in the Himalayas. He noted the need to move away from solely technical discussions on water allocation towards broader discussions among governmental, non-governmental organizations and the private sector on innovative solutions and opportunities.
The participants also addressed the following issues: involvement of Afghanistan in regional water cooperation; reforming existing agreements and regional institutions; mechanisms for practical cooperation on water allocation with Kyrgyzstan which has frozen its participation in IFAS and ICWC; building trust between the countries and specifically through joint research and training. In particular, it was wished that SIC ICWC should organize workshops, trainings and internships for environmentalists, including a workshop on drought monitoring and experience in drought forecasting in other countries.
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