International Scientific and Practical Conference

“WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBALIZATION”

dedicated to the 105th birth anniversary of the of Professor L.Ye. Tazhibaev

February 25-26, 2021, Almaty city

 PRESS RELEASE

The Kazakh National Agrarian Research University and the Executive Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in the Republic of Kazakhstan, jointly with their partners, are holding an online international scientific and practical conference “Water Resources Management in the Context of Globalization”.

In light of the implementation of the main provisions of the UN General Assembly Resolutions, the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018-2028” and the planned IX World Water Forum (Dakar), the international scientific and practical conference will serve a platform for discussing and developing joint ways to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-17).

The conference is planned to work in the following sections:

Section 1. Water resources and land reclamation.

Section 2. Sustainable water supply for natural and economic systems.

Section 3. The Aral Sea basin: experience, cooperation, prospects.

Section 4. Resource-saving technologies in the reclamation of irrigated lands and watering of pastures.

Section 5. Water management. Hydraulic engineering.

Section 6. Nexus “water – energy”.

Section 7. Economic problems of water security.

The third section shall cover the issues of the Aral Sea basin.

Over 70 million people living in Central Asia are suffering the consequences of the Aral Sea environmental crisis that threatens the health and well-being of local population. It negatively affects the sustainable development of the region due to its environmental, socio-economic and humanitarian consequences. The disaster threatens not only the health of the population, but the gene pool and the health and livelihood of future generation in the region.

More than 5.4 million hectares (54 thousand km2) has turned into a salt desert, becoming a source of salt aerosols carried out into the Earth’s atmosphere. Out of this area, almost 2.0 million hectares (20 thousand km2) are located in Kazakhstani territory. Tens of millions of tons of finely dispersed salty dust and poisonous salt and sand rise annually from the bottom of the dried sea, forming salt-dust clouds, carried far over the long distances.

The situation is aggravated by an increase in water consumption, which is associated with the population growth and intensive development of the economy in the region. The conditions with shortage of water in the region shall become more serious due to expected decrease in runoff in the medium and long term perspective caused by climate change.

Taking into account that natural ecosystems do not have administrative and state borders, it might be argued that the ecological and socio-economic problems of the Kazakhstani part of the Aral Sea region are to a certain extent identical with the problems of the entire Aral Sea basin.

The work of the third section “The Aral Sea Basin: experience, cooperation, prospects” will ensure that:

  • the process of implementation of the Joint Communiqué of the Council of Heads of States (Founders of IFAS) dated August 24, 2018 shall be expedite;
  • the ways to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-17), the implementation of the main provisions of the UN General Assembly Resolutions “International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028” and development of a joint vision for the IX World Water Forum (Dakar) shall be discussed;
  • the regional cooperation for further promotion of the Fourth Aral Sea Basin Program (ASBP-4) and the Regional Environmental Program for Central Asia (REAPP) shall be strengthened and the possible ways to create a Water and Energy Consortium of Central Asia shall considered;
  • the issues of the Tashkent Resolution of the participants of the international conference “Joint actions to mitigate the consequences of the Aral catastrophe: new approaches, innovative solutions and investments”, June 7-8, 2018 shall be reviewed and the discussion be continued for further actions;
  • algorithms to enhance the attraction of green financial resources of the world community such as UNEP; UNDP; New Strategy “European Union and Central Asia: New Opportunities for Stronger Partnership”; New Berlin Initiative “Green Central Asia” for the period 2020-2030; Green Climate Fund, Astana International Financial Center, etc . for further implementation of various investment and applied projects to address priority issues in the Aral Sea basin focusing on integrated water resources management, ecology and biodiversity development, shall be discussed.

Based on the results of the work of the International online Conference it is expected that:

  • the urgent problems of the Aral Sea basin shall be given new impulse in the view of the global Sustainable Development Goals;
  • proposals for improving the efficiency of water resources management in Central Asia shall be elaborated;
  • joint areas of cooperation to address regional environmental problems shall be defined;
  • a portfolio of projects for green investment decisions to improve the welfare of the population of Central Asia shall be proposed.

Representatives of interested ministries and departments of Central Asian countries, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, UN structural units, NGOs, universities, research institutes and other stakeholders shall take part in the work of the International online Conference.

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