The participants of the meeting, delegated by the governments of the five countries, are expected to review the proposals drafted on the national level. A total of 117 projects were prepared, and the most acute of those in terms of water management, environment and socio-economic development of the region will be selected for implementation. They will serve as the basis for the regional plans for the adaptation to the effects of climate change, for the measures towards restoration of water ecosystems and planting of forests in the Aral’s exposed sea bed.
The Executive Committee will send the selected projects for evaluation to the country task forces. They will be then finalized, systematized and discussed at the meeting of the regional working group that will gather in May. The meeting will be attended by the representatives of the Center for Science and Information of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, the basin water associations, Amudarya and Syrdarya. As the next stage, meetings will be held with international partners to discuss the funding of the approved proposals.
The Joint Communique of the Council of the Heads of IFAS Founding States that met last August in Turkmenbashi highlights the importance of developing the Aral Sea Basin Program (ASBP-4) for joining efforts and potentials of the countries of the region and the international community with a view to resolving the common priority issues concerning water management, environment and socio-economic development in the Aral Sea basin. The need for the improvement of the Fund’s structure with regard for the current water and environmental situation in the region was also stressed.
The development of the Aral Sea Basin Program (ASBP-4) and improvement of the Fund’s work were outlined in the Concept of Turkmenistan’s 2017-2019 Chairmanship in IFAS and the Action Plan of the Fund’s Executive Committee for this period.
