On December 15, 2023, the second meeting of the Regional Working Group (RWG) on a mutually beneficial mechanism for water and energy cooperation was held in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan.
The first meeting of the RWG took place on May 19, 2022, with the participation of officially nominated representatives from all five countries in the region. At the meeting, representatives of the Central Asian countries discussed the visions of the parties and discussed possible ways to update the organisational and financial mechanisms for cooperation on water and energy in Central Asia and agreed on further actions within the framework of a regional working group to discuss a mutually beneficial mechanism for water and energy cooperation. It was noted that for a more comprehensive approach, it is necessary to include specialists from other authorities in the Central Asian countries and interested research institutes in the Working Group.
The goals of the second meeting were:
– Strengthening regional dialogue on a mutually beneficial mechanism for water and energy cooperation
– Presentation and discussion of the results of expert work and recommendations for the development of a mutually beneficial mechanism for water and energy cooperation
– Presentation and discussion of proposals from Central Asian countries on the development of a mutually beneficial mechanism for water and energy cooperation
– Coordination of further actions within the framework of the RWG
Dr. Caroline Milow, Programme Manager of the GIZ Green Central Asia Programme emphasized: “Cooperation is of paramount importance as the latest research and evolving climatic shifts show that without open dialogue, without mutual respect and above all, without rational compromise, it is getting more challenging to set a balanced individual development agenda that meets national priorities on the one hand without undermining neighbouring country’s interests on the other.”
The meeting was attended by authorised representatives appointed from each Central Asian country (representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Central Asia, relevant line ministries), as well as representatives of international partners such as United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Scientific Information Centre Inter-state Commission for Water Cooperation (SIC ICWC), Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), etc.
