Central Asian Leaders Discuss Future of the Aral Sea Basin

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev participated on 22 April in a meeting of the Council of Heads of Founding States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, held in Astana under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

The meeting brought together the presidents of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, Tajikistan, Emomali Rahmon, and Turkmenistan, Serdar Berdimuhamedow, as well as the head of the IFAS Executive Committee, Askhat Orazbay. Participants reviewed the results of Kazakhstan’s chairmanship of the Fund during 2023–2026 and exchanged views on environmental, water management, and socio-economic challenges in the Aral Sea basin.

In his speech, Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized that the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea remains a unique regional platform whose importance is increasing amid climate change and rising water consumption, which are deepening water scarcity in Central Asia.

He warned that by 2040, water shortages in the Aral Sea basin could nearly double and reach 20 billion cubic meters annually, posing risks to drinking water systems, agriculture, energy production, ecosystems, and social stability.

The President noted that Central Asian countries continue to show low efficiency in water use. In agriculture, nearly three cubic meters of water are required to generate one dollar of value added, while the global average is twice as efficient.

He presented Uzbekistan’s national reforms, noting that water-saving technologies have been introduced on 60 percent of irrigated land, canal lining has reached 40 percent, and modernization of pumping stations has reduced energy consumption by nearly 30 percent. A unified digital database now covers more than 600,000 water users and over 4 million hectares of irrigated land.

These measures have resulted in annual water savings exceeding 10 billion cubic meters, with projections reaching 15 billion cubic meters by 2030. These reforms have been incorporated into Uzbekistan’s Water Code adopted last year.

Mirziyoyev stated Uzbekistan’s intention to strengthen the Fund as a key mechanism of regional integration and outlined priorities for its future chairmanship, including institutional development and governance reform.

He also expressed support for Kyrgyzstan’s full participation in the organization and called for alignment between IFAS activities and the outcomes of Central Asian Consultative Meetings of Heads of State.

The Uzbek leader proposed introducing key performance indicators into the monitoring of the fourth Aral Sea basin program and expanding the mandate of the UN Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund to cover the entire Aral Sea basin for environmental and socio-economic projects.

He highlighted the importance of cooperation between IFAS and other regional platforms, including water-energy coordination mechanisms and desertification control initiatives, citing the Center for Combating Desertification at the Green University in Tashkent as an example.

The President also stressed the importance of environmental education and proposed the regional program “Water of the Future,” aimed at practical training for farmers and industrial users.

He further called for greater involvement of Afghanistan in regional environmental cooperation and for increased international financing for land reclamation and riverbank protection projects.

In conclusion, Mirziyoyev proposed declaring 2026–2036 the Decade of Rational Water Use in Central Asia and organizing a regular Water Week across the region. He also invited leaders to the World Water Conservation Forum in Samarkand.

The meeting concluded with the adoption of the Astana Declaration, decisions on Kazakhstan’s chairmanship, the establishment of an International Day of the Aral Sea and the Amudarya and Syrdarya rivers, and the election of the President of Uzbekistan as Chair of the Fund for 2027–2029.