On 30 March, a meeting of the Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was held in Astana, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kanat Bozumbayev. The event served as a key milestone in the preparations for the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Fund’s founding members, scheduled for 22 April 2026 in the Kazakh capital.
High-level representatives from Central Asian countries attended the meeting:
- Tajikistan: Sulaimon Ziezoзоda, Deputy Prime Minister;
- Turkmenistan: Tangryguly Atakhallyev, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers;
- Uzbekistan: Shukhrat Ganiev, Advisor to the President;
- Kazakhstan: Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation;
- IFAS: Askhat Orazbay, Chairman of the Executive Committee.
- Kyrgyzstan participated as an observer, with the delegation led by Almaz Zheenaliev, Deputy Minister and Director of the Water Resources Service.
Following the negotiations, the parties signed five joint decisions. These included preparations for the upcoming summit of Heads of State, a report on the activities of the IFAS Executive Committee for the reporting period, and measures to improve the Fund’s organizational structure and legal framework.
Furthermore, the participants reviewed and took note of the draft Work Plan for implementing a unified automated system for the accounting, monitoring, management, and distribution of water resources in the Syr Darya River basin. They also considered a proposal to declare 2026–2036 as the “Decade of Practical Action on Rational Water Use in Central Asia.”
Meeting with the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
The same day, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, held a separate meeting with the members of the IFAS Board. In addition to the aforementioned representatives, the meeting was attended by Shavkat Khamraev, Minister of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and heads of relevant ministries and agencies of Kazakhstan.
The parties discussed the further development of regional cooperation in the water sector, increasing the Fund’s operational efficiency, and preparations for the April summit.
Olzhas Bektenov emphasized that the issues of saving the Aral Sea and the sustainable management of transboundary water resources remain among the priorities outlined by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at the 5th meeting of the National Kurultai.
Special attention was paid to the digitalization of water accounting and management. Bektenov announced the phased implementation of a unified automated system for the accounting, monitoring, and distribution of water resources in the Syr Darya and Amu Darya river basins.
“Digitalization and accounting will ensure transparency in water use. The availability of reliable data and joint monitoring are the foundation of trust between states and allow for more efficient water resource management,” said the Head of the Government of Kazakhstan.
The meeting highlighted Kazakhstan’s key water-related initiatives:
- The Framework Convention on Water Use in Central Asia: A document intended to establish principles for rational resource use, prevention of transboundary damage, and the exchange of hydrological information.
- The Creation of an International Water Organization within the UN: According to the Kazakh side, such a body would consolidate global efforts and attract additional resources for regional projects.
Participants stressed the need to further improve the organizational structure and legal framework of IFAS to enhance the Fund’s efficiency and ensure the implementation of adopted decisions.
The parties reaffirmed their readiness to continue a constructive dialogue, develop water diplomacy, and jointly seek solutions aimed at the sustainable management of the region’s water resources and the improvement of the ecological situation in the Aral Sea basin.
Kazakhstan concludes its chairmanship of IFAS in 2026. The Board meeting and the discussion with the Prime Minister marked a significant step in reviewing results and shaping the agenda for the coming years. ///nCa, 31 March 2026