Uzbek Female Water Managers Begin Study Tour on China’s Water-Saving Practices in Xinjiang

The study tour for Uzbekistan female water resource managers on China’s water-saving management practices opened in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the People’s Republic of China, on 3 August 2026. Co-hosted by the CAREC Institute and the Ministry of Water Resources of Uzbekistan, and supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the five-day program brings 15 female water professionals from Uzbekistan. Through site visits and technical exchanges in Urumqi, Shihezi, and Changji, participants will examine arid-zone water-saving technologies and gender-inclusive governance models.

Water resource pressure in Central Asia has continued to rise in recent years. While women play an indispensable role in grassroots water management, their participation in technical decision-making and system operation remains limited. In his opening remarks, CAREC Institute Director Mr. Charymuhammet Shallyyev emphasized that female empowerment is not merely a social goal, but a technical necessity for sustainable community water use. He positioned the study tour as a knowledge-sharing platform to support gender-inclusive governance with arid-zone water-saving practices.

This vision was echoed by Mr. Zokirjon Ishpulatov, First Deputy Minister of Water Resources of Uzbekistan. In a video message, he encouraged participants to adapt China’s advanced water-saving technologies and digital management practices into context-specific solutions that boost sectoral efficiency and sustainability. Mr. Mirzo Iskandar Gulyamov, Head of Country Operations at the ADB Uzbekistan Resident Mission, noted that such efforts directly advance Uzbekistan’s Gender Concept for the Water Management Sector. He added that the study tour equips participants with the leadership and technical skills essential for inclusive, climate-resilient water governance.

During the keynote session, officials from the Department of Finance, the Department of Water Resources, and the Women’s Federation of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region presented policies and practices covering public funding for water infrastructure, fiscal support for women’s empowerment, high-efficiency water-saving projects, digital twin water systems, and grassroots women participation mechanisms in water governance. Researchers from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences shared insights on agricultural water-saving technologies and intelligent management in arid regions.

“The CAREC Institute will continue to serve as a knowledge bridge among member countries, generating, sharing, and applying knowledge to foster mutual learning and help each country explore sustainable development solutions suited to its own realities,” said Dr. Li Kouqing, Deputy Director One of the CAREC Institute.

Throughout the tour, the delegation will visit water-saving facilities, modern agriculture demonstration zones, enterprises, and rural communities to observe the application of technologies and gender collaboration mechanisms in practice firsthand.