The event brought together SIC ICWC staff and researchers from the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA).
Discussions covered water security in Central Asia, the impact of climate change on the flow regimes of transboundary rivers, the water-energy nexus, and ways to improve water accounting mechanisms and enhance the predictability of water use across the region.
Opening the seminar, SIC ICWC Director Dr Dinara Ziganshina presented the Center’s main areas of work, including its role in providing scientific and information support for the Commission’s decisions.
According to her, cooperation among Central Asian countries in the water sector has reached a qualitatively new level over the past decade. Uzbekistan’s policy of good-neighbourliness has enabled the region to move from discussing disagreements to jointly implementing projects and has given new impetus to the development of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.
Dr Ziganshina cited the Kambarata-1 Hydropower Plant project, being implemented jointly by Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, as a clear example of these changes.
Attention was also drawn to emerging challenges. According to the SIC ICWC Director, climate change is affecting river flow regimes across the region, increasing the need for accurate water accounting and more predictable water use among Central Asian countries.
As noted during the seminar, the ICWC’s mechanisms provide an effective response to these challenges. They enable the countries of the region to coordinate water withdrawals from the transboundary Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers during vegetation and non-vegetation periods and to adjust decisions throughout the year as water availability forecasts are updated.
It was emphasised that the resilience of this format rests on joint decision-making and regular professional engagement.
Particular attention was given to the importance of implementing the initiative put forward by President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev at the April Summit of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in Astana to engage Afghanistan in regional cooperation on climate, environmental protection, water management and agriculture.
Participants noted that involving Afghanistan in data exchange and joint monitoring serves the interests of all countries in the basin and enhances the long-term predictability of water use.
The seminar concluded with a substantive exchange of views, during which IICA researchers received detailed responses to their questions from SIC ICWC representatives.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed mutual interest in expanding cooperation, including through the exchange of analytical materials and joint work on regional water issues.
