President of Uzbekistan outlines priorities for IFAS chairmanship

On April 22, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev took part in a regular meeting of the Council of the Heads of Founder States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

The event, chaired by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, was also attended by President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov, President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov, and Chairman of the IFAS Executive Committee Askhat Orazbay.

In accordance with the agenda, the results of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of IFAS for 2023–2026 were summarized, and an exchange of views took place on key issues related to improving the environmental, water management, and socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea basin.

In his address, the President of Uzbekistan noted that the Fund remains a unique regional organization, whose role and significance continue to grow amid climate change and increasing water consumption, contributing to rising water stress in Central Asia.

“According to expert estimates, the water deficit in the Aral Sea basin could almost double – to 20 billion cubic meters per year by as early as 2040. This would pose additional risks to drinking water supplies, the environment, agriculture, energy production and social stability,” President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted.

At the same time, the countries of the region rank among the lowest in terms of water use efficiency. In agriculture, our countries use almost three cubic meters of water to generate one dollar of added value, whereas the global average is half that amount.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev outlined measures to improve water-use efficiency in Uzbekistan. Over a short period, water-saving technologies have been introduced across 60 percent of irrigated land, while the concreting of irrigation canals has reached 40 percent. The modernization of pumping stations has reduced energy consumption in the water management sector by nearly 30 percent.

A unified digital database is being developed, covering over 600,000 water users and more than 4 million hectares of irrigated land.

As a result of these measures, annual water savings exceeding 10 billion cubic meters have been achieved. By 2030, this figure is projected to reach 15 billion cubic meters.

These measures are comprehensive and consistent, and are reflected in the Water Code adopted last year.

The Head of State stated that Uzbekistan intends to transform the Fund into one of the key drivers of regional integration. In this context, he outlined the priorities of Uzbekistan’s chairmanship of IFAS, which will begin next year.

The importance of developing and modernizing the activities of IFAS, as well as continuing work to improve the Fund’s structure and legal framework, was noted, and proposals to expand the powers of IFAS bodies and enhance their status and responsibility were supported.

The President expressed hope for the resumption of Kyrgyzstan’s full-fledged participation in IFAS activities, which will contribute to the adoption of more balanced and long-term decisions by the Fund.

Furthermore, the President of Uzbekistan called for synchronizing the IFAS agenda with the decisions of the Consultative Meetings of the Heads of State of Central Asia. It was noted that the sustainable development priorities agreed upon at the highest level during the Consultative Meetings can be practically implemented through the Fund’s relevant mechanisms.

The need to enhance the effectiveness of the Fund’s programs and projects was emphasized. In this regard, it was proposed to incorporate key performance indicators into the monitoring of the implementation of the fourth Aral Sea Basin Program, which will help track progress, identify bottlenecks, and attract additional funding and technical assistance from international partners.

The importance of utilizing existing financing instruments for the Fund’s priority programs was also noted. In particular, it was proposed to consider expanding the mandate and geographical scope of the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region to cover the entire Aral Sea basin.

“This would allow us to channel targeted investments towards urgent environmental and socio-economic projects in all our countries,” stated Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Attention was drawn to the importance of establishing active cooperation between IFAS and other regional structures. The Fund should develop practical partnerships with effective regional platforms on water and energy issues, the preservation of glaciers and mountain ecosystems, climate change adaptation, and efforts to combat desertification. As an example, it was proposed to jointly implement targeted projects with the Center for Combating Desertification at the Green University in Tashkent.

The President of Uzbekistan emphasized the need to revive centuries-old traditions of careful water use as a source of life.

“It is clear that no engineering solutions will have the desired effect unless society’s attitude towards water itself changes. Through a system of continuous education, from pre-school to professional training, we must strive to make the rational use of water a daily habit for everyone and a shared cultural norm,” noted the Head of State.

It was also proposed to launch a regional “Water of the Future” program, a key component of which will be practical training for farmers and manufacturers in the use of modern water-saving technologies.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted the importance of strengthening constructive engagement with Afghanistan and its involvement in regional cooperation on climate, ecology, agriculture, and water management. Attracting financial resources from international donors for bank protection and land reclamation works in Afghanistan remains a pressing issue.

In the long term, it is necessary to establish a regional legal framework for the distribution of water resources, taking into account the rights and obligations of all countries in the Aral Sea basin, including Afghanistan.

In conclusion, the President of Uzbekistan expressed hope for support in implementing initiatives to declare the period from 2026 to 2036 as the “Decade of Practical Actions for the Rational Use of Water in Central Asia” and to hold a Water Week in the countries of the region on a regular basis.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev once again invited the leaders of neighboring countries to participate in the World Forum on Water Conservation, which will be held in Samarkand at the end of September.

The heads of state of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan also addressed the IFAS meeting.

Following the summit, the leaders signed the Astana Declaration and adopted decisions on the progress of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship, the declaration of March 26 as the International Day of the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, and the election of the President of Uzbekistan as President of the Fund for 2027–2029.