On September 18, Kazakhstan Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov held the first meeting of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan.
The meeting with the heads of delegations of the participating countries of the Fund considered the issues of joint use of transboundary water resources, as well as measures on further solution of environmental and socio-economic problems in the Aral Sea basin.
Kazakhstan chairs the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea from 2024 to 2026.
“Today the heads of our states pay special attention to the water sphere. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has indicated that saving the Aral Sea should become a priority of long-term international cooperation. The primary task of the Fund is the integrated and rational use and protection of water and energy resources of Central Asia, taking into account their socio-economic, energy, irrigation and environmental significance. I hope that by joint efforts we will be able to qualitatively improve the state of this unique water body, which is important for all our countries,” Bektenov said.
Bektenov outlined priority tasks of the IFAS for the period of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship.
He noted the need for further elaboration of a comprehensive and mutually beneficial mechanism of water and energy cooperation in Central Asia, taking into account the interests of all parties. In particular, introduction of the latest digital technologies and the use of satellite data of remote sensing of the earth, which will strengthen cooperation and ensure saving of significant volumes of water resources.
In addition, in order to improve the efficiency of energy and irrigation regulation, work will be intensified on the development and implementation by the countries of the region of a unified automated system for accounting, monitoring, management and distribution of water resources in the Aral Sea basin. These measures are aimed at achieving a balance in meeting the needs of the countries and preventing shortages of electricity in autumn and winter and of irrigation water in summer.
Another priority task is to complete the process of improving the organizational structure and the legal basis of the IFAS.
The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was established in 1993 by five Central Asian states including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. The purpose of the Fund was to unite the efforts of the countries to mitigate the negative impact of the drying up of the Aral Sea on the natural environment and the population of the region.
