Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 10 April, an international scientific-practical conference was held in Tashkent on the theme "Water Diplomacy in Central Asia: Trust, Dialogue, and Multilateral Cooperation for Sustainable Development."

The forum was initiated and organized by the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The event brought together representatives from all the countries through which the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers flow, as well as experts from Afghanistan, Europe, and Asia. Central topics of discussion included issues related to the rational management of water resources, the impacts of climate change, and strengthening interstate cooperation in the region.

Over two dozen experts and specialists in the field of water diplomacy, representing relevant research institutes and water management agencies, participated in the conference. Additionally, representatives from 15 international and regional organizations joined the discussions, including the UN Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia, the International Water Management Institute, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and others.

In his welcoming address, Akramjon Neymatov, the First Deputy Director of ISMI, noted that the forum had become an effective platform for deepening expert and scientific-political dialogue in the region. He emphasized that according to the World Meteorological Organization, freshwater shortages already affect around 3.6 billion people, and by 2050, this number could exceed 5 billion. For Central Asian countries, the situation is worsened by the rapid shrinking of glaciers, which are a crucial source of freshwater.

Particular attention was given to initiatives proposed at the recent climate forum in Samarkand. Among the key proposals by the President of Uzbekistan were the launch of a regional program to implement water-saving technologies, the organization of an international forum in the Aral Sea region, and the creation of a Secretariat for the European Union's "Water – Energy – Climate Change" initiative in Tashkent.

According to Neymatov, the water-climate agenda, which had once been a source of tension in the region, is now a factor reinforcing unity and solidarity among Central Asian states.

The conference was organized with the support of the Ministry of Water Management of Uzbekistan, the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.