National Workshop on the Alignment of the Roadmap for the Blue Peace Central Asia Project Component 2: “Benefit Sharing at the Basin Level”

On October 22, a National Workshop was held to align the Roadmap for the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) Project, Component 2: “Benefit Sharing at the Basin Level.”

The main focus of the BPCA project is to support sustainable water management and water diplomacy in transboundary river basins. The project is scheduled for implementation during the period 2025–2029.

The event was organized by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Central Asia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, within the framework of the BPCA project funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The workshop brought together representatives of the Ministry of Water Resources and its territorial branches (Amu-Kashkadarya, Naryn-SyrDarya, Naryn-Karadarya, Sokh-SyrDarya, and Zarafshan Basin Irrigation System Authorities), the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, research institutes of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as international organizations (SDC, GIZ). The Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) was represented by Ms. Zulfiya Yarullina.

Component 2 of the BPCA focuses on small transboundary rivers (STRs), which are considered as practical pilot cases where local-level cooperation can help develop climate-resilient solutions, build trust, and lay the groundwork for future investments under Component 3 of the BPCA.

In this context, the main objectives of the workshop were as follows:

• Preliminary selection of pilot basins based on agreed methodologies and stakeholder participation; local assessment of needs in the selected pilot basins;
• Assessment and strengthening of management systems at the transboundary basin level;
• Presentation of basin management and investment plans;
• Agreement on the criteria for selecting small transboundary rivers (STRs) and the preparation of a shortlist of candidate basins through group discussions.

Participants proposed several small transboundary watercourses in the Fergana Valley and Surkhandarya region and formulated a priority list.

Priority ranking was based on the following criteria:

• data availability and quality;
• experience of cooperation between countries;
• synergy with ongoing projects;
• geographical representation;
• climate resilience and adaptive potential;
• support from key stakeholders.

The group discussions also addressed issues related to benefit sharing and the need for improved water management of small rivers of interstate importance. The key thematic areas considered included ecosystem, economic, indirect, socio-cultural, and political-institutional aspects.

Given that in recent years the countries of Central Asia have been taking measures to improve their water legislation and adopt new approaches to water management, it was proposed to primarily support the establishment of relevant Water Councils and the development of corresponding regulations (for example, Article 16 of the Water Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan).

As a result of the workshop, the selection criteria and shortlist of pilot water bodies were agreed upon, and a preliminary roadmap for needs assessment and institutional analysis was prepared.