Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) - A presentation was held by the Embassy of Uzbekistan in Germany on the outcome of the UN High-Level Conference “Aral Sea - Zone of Environmental Innovations and Technologies” organized in October this year in Nukus.

The event was held as part of a meeting of the working group of the German specialized organization German Water Partnership. This unites over 350 specialized companies, unions and research institutions involved in water management. It is a platform for German and foreign partners from the water industry to discuss problems in this area and develop solutions using modern innovative ideas and technologies, as well as financial resources. As part of its activities, the German Water Partnership works closely with government structures and various specialized agencies in Germany.

It should be noted that this is not the first joint event with the participation of this authoritative organization dedicated to Uzbekistan. So, in May this year, within the framework of the 12th conference “German Water Partnership” in Berlin, the Uzbek delegation held a presentation of the Multi-Partner Trust Fund for Human Security for the Aral Sea region.

The representative of the German Water Partnership, E. Sieber, who participated in the conference in Nukus, shared with participants her impressions of the trip to Uzbekistan. In her opinion, the conference was the logical result of the recent regional policy of Uzbekistan, which created a new atmosphere of mutual understanding and close cooperation in Central Asia. “This approach of Uzbekistan contributed to the solution of many problems that took place in relations between neighbors in the region, including in the water sector, including the understanding that the Aral Sea disaster is a problem not only in Uzbekistan, but throughout Central Asia,” she said.

In her opinion, without visiting the Aral Sea region, it was impossible to fully realize the full extent of the problem and talk about its possible solutions. “While there, we felt the seriousness of the problem and felt real alarm for the future of our planet due to the consequences of such major environmental disasters. At the same time, it should be noted the efforts made by the leadership of Uzbekistan to eliminate the negative effects of the crisis and create the necessary conditions for the livelihoods of the local population. We were impressed with the fact that there is a lot of new construction in Karakalpakstan, social conditions are created for the local population. New manufacturing enterprises are being commissioned, jobs are being created. In particular, fish farming is reviving. At the same time, it is gratifying that in order to improve the environmental and socio-economic situation in the region, the leadership of Uzbekistan has relied precisely on new technologies and innovations, ”E. Ziber emphasized.

According to the German expert, the participation in the conference of senior representatives of the United Nations, the EU and other authoritative international organizations and financial institutions, as well as foreign media, testifies to the great attention of the world community to the problems of the Aral Sea ecological catastrophe and its readiness to support Uzbekistan’s efforts to overcome its consequences.

In turn, the representatives of the German companies LEGIO-WATER GmbH, OTT Group, Decon International GmbH, SEBA Hydrometrie GmbH, Lutz-Jesco GmbH, Megger Group and PDMS who participated in the event. Welcoming the desire of Uzbekistan to attract modern technologies and know-how in the field of ecology and water management, they also showed interest in cooperation with Uzbek partners in these areas.

In particular, German companies noted the possibility of joint development of projects to improve drinking water supply in Karakalpakstan, the construction of new and reconstruction of existing irrigation systems using advanced German water-saving technologies.

The Executive Director of German Water Partnership, J. Braune, noted the readiness of this organization to exchange experience in order to improve the skills of Uzbek specialists in the water sector, including through the organization of training seminars, study tours, and participation in international specialized exhibitions.

According to her, additional opportunities in this direction are opened by a new initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs Green Central Asia, the implementation of which is scheduled for January 2020. This initiative, aimed at promoting mutual rapprochement between the states of Central Asia and Afghanistan by establishing a dialogue on climate change and related risks for the region, is aimed at implementing projects in the field of rational use of water resources, effective development of agriculture, climate protection and economic diversification for through the introduction of environmentally friendly and energy-saving ("green") technologies.

As a first step in this direction, the German Water Partnership organization invited the delegation of Uzbekistan to participate in the largest international exhibition on water and raw materials management IFAT, which will be held in Munich on 4-8 May 2020.