Blue Peace of Central Asia Webinar on Water Cooperation

On 3 November 2020, the CAREC Institute Chief Economist Dr. Hans Holzhacker and Deputy Director Two Dr. Iskandar Abdullaev presented at the webinar which was organized in the framework of the program titled “water as a driver of sustainable recovery: economic, institutional and strategic aspects of water resources management in Central Asia,” supported by Blue Peace of Central Asia (BPCA) of Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), and jointly organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the Center for Central Asia Research of Corvinus University Budapest (CUB) and the Central Asian Regional Environmental Center.

The event was attended by high level representatives including H.E. Ambassador Peter Burian – EU Special Representative for Centra Asia, and H.E. Ambassador Guy Bonvin – Special Envoy of Switzerland for Water Resources in Central Asia. Many analysts believe that majority of problems that have plagued the water sector for the last three decades in Central Asia is the result of low profitability of and under-investment in the water sector (irrigated agriculture, hydropower, communal and industrial water use). Presenters talked about water as a human right, deliberated on the transboundary context, different levels of water systems, examples of improved cooperation, elements of sector reforms, rural vs. urban gap, and climate change impact.

Blue Peace Central Asia promotes water cooperation in the region to address questions related to increasing competing interests in water, foster the understanding of the region as interdependent, and support common solutions on water for the benefit of all.