“The foundation of the prosperity of nations and regions is water,” observed Yoshirō Mori, former Prime Minister of Japan, on the opening day of the 2022 Asia Pacific Water Summit (APWS), held in the ‘Groundwater Conservation City’ of Kumamoto from 23-24 April.

In June 2022, a cohort of young and aspiring water specialists from Central and Eastern Europe will get a chance to experience a week of theory and practice on Integrated Water Resources Management at the Tisza Lake in Hungary.

The World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated annually on 17 June to raise awareness around desertification and drought. GWP Senior Water & Climate Specialist Valentin Aich, who works on the Technical Support Unit of the Integrated Drought Management Programme (IDMP), shares some insights on what’s currently on the IDMP agenda. One of the major activities is expanding the programme to Caucasus and Central Asia (CACENA). Aich is passionate about this but explains that it is a process that will take years to achieve – however, all the elements are now in place and the time is right.

In May 3-10, 2021, CWP-Georgia and CWP-Kyrgyzstan held a meetings round to exchange of experience on two topics: SDG 6.5.1 implementation and transboundary rivers management.

For seven years, the Kazakh-German University (KGU) has been annually holding an Olympiad in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) among students from Central Asian countries. Since last year, the University has expanded the subject matter of the Olympiad and conducts it within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) developed by the UN.

The strategic course of Turkmenistan is focused on the development of innovative approaches, using digital technologies and forming an ecological culture. The effectiveness of interaction between sectors (government, business and society) and properly built mechanisms of their communication and coordination largely determine the success of national programs. The need of intersectoral interaction mechanisms is determined by national legislation and international obligations of Turkmenistan.

The Independent Dialogue on Advancing Water- Energy- Food (WEF) Nexus approaches to achieve food systems transformation in Central Asia convened by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) was held online on 15 April 2021. This dialogue is one of a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues that insights emerging from these meetings will be presented to the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) in September 2021.

“Partnership as a driving force for achieving water security” is the motto of the competition organized by the Global Water Partnership for Central Asia and Caucasus to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Global Water Partnership.