9th MEETING OF THE TASK FORCE ON THE WATER-FOOD-ENERGY-ECOSYSTEM NEXUS

The Ninth meeting of the Task Force on the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems (WFEE) Nexus organized under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes took place in the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on 18 June 2025.

The event brought together representatives of states, international organizations, academia and practitioners to discuss issues related to integrated approaches to the natural resource management. Special attention was paid to the role of ecosystems in ensuring water, energy and food security.

The agenda of the meeting covered the following key topics: (1) Why ecosystems are at the heart of the WFEE Nexus; (2) Water allocation and flow regulation: balancing water, hydropower and ecosystems; (3) A WFEE Nexus approach for more effective climate action.

The Task Force also elected its Chair for 2025-2027, and upcoming intersectoral activities under the Water Convention were announced.

Aurika Galustyan participated on behalf of SIC ICWC at the panel session - Why ecosystems are at the heart of the WFEE Nexus” and made a presentation titled “Integrating ecosystems into WEFE Nexus governance to provide practical inputs to regional and national policy dialogues (examples from Central Asia)”. She focused on two areas of work: (1) Integration of nexus approaches and ecosystem solutions into basin planning: , Amu Darya basin case-study (Studies on priority issues in the field of water, energy and environment in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basin project funded by GIZ); and, (2) Development of practical toolkits or Nexus Profiles to support ministries and agencies in the region at the national level in operationalizing nexus principles in their mandates and strategies (“Regional mechanisms for low carbon, climate resilient transformation of the energy, water and land nexus in Central Asia project, financed by the German government as part of International Climate Initiative/IKI).

The meeting served as a logical follow-up to the Global Workshop on Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration in Transboundary Basins, which was held on 16-17 June, 2025 (Geneva, Switzerland). Both events emphasized the growing need to integrate ecosystem considerations into natural resource management, particularly in the context of climate change and increasing cross-sectoral challenges.