This high-level Regional Forum was organised by the Scientific-Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination of Central Asia (SIC ICWC) in co-operation with UNECE, OECD, SDC, UNRCCA, World Bank, GIZ and IWMI during the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation 2025, held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
The Forum convened over 120 participants from Central Asian ministries, regional organisations, UN agencies, development partners, research institutes, and civil society. Participants actively discussed various topics including transboundary governance, science-policy bridging, and financing mechanisms.
Key messages from the Forum:
- Snow and glacier-fed river basins are central to Central Asia's water, energy, food, and ecological security, emphasizing the need for transboundary cooperation, planning, and implementation.
- Bridging science and policy enables evidence-based policymaking through the efficient use of all relevant data and research findings.
- Integrating ecosystem considerations into basin water management is essential for sustaining water security, preserving biodiversity, and enhancing climate resilience in Central Asia.
- Innovative financing, aligned with Nexus thinking, is urgently needed to enhance long-term resilience.
- All parties reaffirm a shared regional commitment to sustain dialogue, foster multi-stakeholder partnerships (involving governments, the private sector, researchers, and civil society), and implement joint solutions for Central Asia's future.
Further information about this event can be found here.