Tashkent hosts conference on Aral catastrophe

Given the proximity of the topics of the forum and conference, as well as a unified composition of participants, international conference was held in the days of the Central Asian International Environmental Forum, held in the capital from 5 to 8 June 2018.

It was organized by the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Ministry of Innovation Development of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The international conference was organized and held in partnership with the relevant ministries and departments of the republic, International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS), The Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC), representative offices of the United Nations Development Program, UNESCO, World Bank, German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), General Secretariat Standing Committee on Scientific and technological cooperation of the OIS (COMSTECH) and other international and regional organizations.

Participants of the international conference were deputies of parliaments and heads of ministries and departments of the countries of Central Asia, specialists and experts of the state authorities and government of the country, national and foreign scientists and specialists, representatives IFAS, CAREC, GIZ, structural institutions UNDP, COMSTECH, Global Water Partnership, World Bank and other leading financial institutions and international organizations, foreign companies, interested in investing in projects to improve the environmental situation in the Aral Sea region, as well as foreign and national NGOs, business and media representatives.

As participants of the international conference noted, the Aral Sea problem is recognized by the world community as a global problem of our time. For more than 50 years, large-scale negative environmental and the socio-economic consequences of the desiccation of the Aral Sea for the Central Asian region. The Republic of Uzbekistan makes a significant and tangible contribution to mitigating the impact of the Aral catastrophe on the environment and health of the population of the Aral Sea region. However, the scale of existing problems requires drawing the attention of the broad world public to the measures, aimed at restoring ecosystems in the region and achieving its sustainable development. The countries of the Aral Sea Basin still have large investment needs, new technical and innovative solutions for systemic joint actions to stabilize the environmental situation in the Aral Sea region, balanced development of the economy, addressing social issues and adaptation of the region’s population to climate change.

Thanks to the efforts of the leadership of Uzbekistan, aimed at establishing good-neighborly relations with all countries of Central Asia, in recent years, some progress has been made in solving a number of complex issues of a regional nature, including problems of management and use of water resources. One of the priorities in the foreign policy of Uzbekistan, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sh. M. Mirziyoyev, specifically identified the solution of issues of joint use of the region’s water resources and unification of efforts in overcoming the consequences of the Aral Sea crisis. This is evidenced by the decisions, the recent series of international forums and the results of bilateral and multilateral meetings of managers and delegations of Central Asian countries.

It was specially noted, that the international conference gave a new impetus to attracting investments and strengthening of regional cooperation in the implementation of projects, aimed at improving the state of the environment and living conditions of the population of the Aral Sea region.

The objectives of the international conference were: coordination within the framework of the International Fund for saving the Aral Sea, the practical orientation and coordination of actions of the countries of the region, carried out to address the problems of the Aral Sea region; analysis and evaluation of implemented programs to mitigate the consequences of the Aral catastrophe; determination of ways of cooperation in the implementation of projects, aimed at improving the environmental and socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea region, and also attraction of investments for their realization.

In accordance with the program of the conference, its participants on June 7 made a trip to the zone of the Aral Sea region: in the city of Nukus, in the town of Muynak, on the "Cemetery of Ships" on the dried-up bottom of the Aral Sea, where they got acquainted with the ecological situation in this region, held meetings with local residents and representatives of state bodies and public organizations.

On June 8, plenary and sectional meetings of the conference took place, at which the activities of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and the new Program of Action on Aral Sea Basin Problems - ASBP-4, issues of deepening cooperation of the countries of the region on joint use of water resources of transboundary rivers in Central Asia, economic and social development of the Aral Sea zone and the creation under the auspices of the United Nations of the Multi-partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea Region, creation and development of protected natural areas in the Aral Sea area, activation of forest reclamation works on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea, as well as attracting young specialists to discuss ecological problems of the Aral Sea and the development of new approaches and innovative solutions in the use of the region’s water resources.

The participants of the conference had an opportunity to visit the Central Asian International Specialized Exhibition of Environmentally Clean Technologies «Green & Ecological Technologies Central Asia – GETCA 2018» and an exhibition of projects of national and international organizations implemented in the Aral Sea region, take part in a business forum and meetings of employees of relevant ministries and departments, local government bodies with representatives of international financial institutions and organizations. The forum approved a package of project proposals, aimed at improving the environmental and socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea region, for realization of which foreign investments and representatives of local business are involved.

Adopted by the results of the conference "The Tashkent resolution on the ecological problems of the Aral Sea, as well as a collection of conference materials sent to parliaments and the governments of the republics of Central Asia and foreign countries, international and public organizations.

During the forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between the UNDP Country Office in Uzbekistan, The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Forestry, Agency GEF IFAS and the Executive Directorate of EC IFAS in Kazakhstan on coordination of forest plantations on the drained bottom of the Aral Sea, as well as the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan and General Secretariat Standing Committee on Scientific and technological cooperation of the OIS (COMSTECH) and others.