OSCE supports Second Water Forum in Kazakhstan
ASTANA, 4 June 2015 – The Second OSCE-supported Water Forum on practical solutions for water governance and co-operation between the government institutions, universities and the private sector took place today in Astana, Kazakhstan.
It brought together some 80 parliamentarians, high-level officials from the ministries of Agriculture, Education and Science, National Economy, Investment and Development as well as academics, representatives of the business community and international organizations. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Kazakh-German University, the Foreign Ministry and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
The participants reviewed the results of the Seventh World Water Forum and assessed the main challenges related to water governance, including in a transboundary context. The high-level experts from Germany, including the Head of the German Federal Union for Energy and Water Management, shared with the participants best practices in the rational and effective use of natural resources and the application of integrated water management principles in the national framework.
At two parallel sessions, government officials and researchers discussed with entrepreneurs the innovative approaches to co-operation between them, while students from ten leading universities countrywide, who specialize in water management, presented their innovative solutions in the water sector to government and business representatives.
“Sustainable development and good governance, most notably effective water resources management, are among the top OSCE priorities in its comprehensive approach to security and co-operation. It is obvious that disagreements over water sharing, water scarcity and its poor quality can affect stability both at the national and regional levels,” said Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana. She added that for Kazakhstan as a downstream country these issues are of strategic importance.
“Kazakhstan is interested in thoroughly studying international experience and applying international law concerning water issues. To ensure regional stability and environmental sustainability as well as to address challenges of co-management and protection of transboundary rivers, we need to join efforts on the basis of common legal grounds, respect for the interests of all stakeholders and mutually beneficial co-operation” said Erlan Nysanbayev, Deputy Minister of Agriculture.
The Forum is part of the Office’s long-term efforts to support sustainable water resources management in the host country and to promote public-private partnerships in addressing related issues.