“Identifying essential structural and institutional reforms to achieve economic sustainability of the water sector of Central Asia”

Webinar organized by Corvinus University Budapest on 25 February

 
The webinar was the second event of the Programme “Water as a driver of sustainable recovery: economic, institutional and strategic aspects of water resources management in Central Asia”, consisting four webinars and a face-to-face workshop. CUB is responsible for the substantive preparation and conduct of the programme, with support by the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative of the Swiss Development Cooperation, the Stockholm International Water Institute and the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia. The research methodology of the programme is different from similar research initiatives: it treats environmental processes – like global warming or water pollution – as externalities and focuses on the analysis of economic, institutional and strategic aspects of water resources management in Central Asia to develop policy advice and recommendations for effectively addressing the challenges faced by irrigated agriculture, hydropower generation, communal and industrial water supply.

One hundred decision-makers, experts and researchers of the five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) and Afghanistan participated in the webinar, along with experts of international development agencies active in the water sector of the region, including the World Bank, th Asian Development Bank, the German Development Agency (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zusammenarbeit), the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and USAID. Peter Burian, the EU Special Representative for Central Asia in his opening address invited CUB and its partners to organize a side event in the framework of the first European Union – Central Asia Economic Forum in July this year in Bishkek to present the results of the Programme.

An expert of the Economic Intelligence Unit unveiled a study comparing cooperation on water resources management in the two major river basins of Central Asia (the Amu Darya and the Sir Darya) with similar arrangements in seven other river basins in other geographical areas. The Center for Central Asia Research of Corvinus University presented preliminary results of a research project modelling the effects of institutional reforms on state capacity to effectively manage water resources. A research group of the Graduate School of Public Policy of Nazarbayev University introduced the first results of a study, financed by the Programme, comparing various financing and operating models for communal water supply in Kazakhstan. A PhD student of the Kazakh group will join the Center for Central Asia Research of CUB for three months later this year.

Organized in the framework of the Programme “Water as a driver of sustainable recovery: economic, institutional and strategic aspects of water resources management in Central Asia” 25 February 2021, 14.00 Almaty time

Supported by Blue Peace of Central Asia (BPCA) of SDC, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Center for Central Asia Research of Corvinus University Budapest (CUB) and the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC)