“Drops of the Future” workshop series concludes with a public event in Vienna, advancing co-operation on water, energy, and food in Central Asia
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has recently hosted the final event of the “Drops of the Future” workshop series. The event brought together young leaders, experts, and key stakeholders from Central Asia and beyond to explore collaborative and consensus-driven approaches to finding sustainable solutions for water, energy and food systems. The goal was to address global changes, prevent resource degradation, and promote security.
The concluding event took place on 26 February 2025 at the Hofburg in Vienna with a briefing for OSCE participating States. Following this session, an exposition and panel discussions were held at the BOKU River Lab. The event highlighted innovative solutions and best practices that address water, food, and energy challenges, all framed within scientific and institutional perspectives.
The opening session started with an address by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov, who underscored that “trade-offs are becoming increasingly difficult. The role of continued negotiations and the striving for compromises is an essential key to managing trade-offs between water use, energy production and food security exacerbated by the mounting risks of climate change”. In a special virtual address Mr. Santeri Leinonen, Special Representative of the Finland Chairperson-in-Office on Youth, Peace and Security emphasized the “vital role of youth engagement in building trust and confidence within and across borders, ultimately contributing to greater stability, peace, and security across the OSCE region”.
The event featured two key panel discussions: “Empowering women and young voices from Central Asia: Advancing the WEF nexus for a sustainable future” featured inspiring contributions from young participants of the “Drops of the Future” workshop series—Ms. Byagul Kerimova (Turkmenistan) and Ms. Sarbinaz Rasbergenova (Uzbekistan)— “A declaration for shaping the future approach to WEF nexus across Central Asia and beyond” focused on a long-term, visionary perspective developed by young people across Central Asia featuring young voices from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.
The “Drops of the Future” Concluding Event extended its outreach with a public exhibition and additional panel discussions at the BOKU River Lab on 26 and 27 February. These sessions provided an interactive platform to explore best practices, institutions, platforms for dialogue, youth-led initiatives in water and environmental sustainability, and innovative technical, technological, and organizational solutions.
The “Drops of the Future” workshop series, launched by the OSCE in co-operation with the Government of Switzerland was instrumental in fostering regional dialogue across all five Central Asian countries and empowering young leaders to drive sustainable solutions across Central Asia. The concluding event in Vienna served as a milestone of advancing regional co-operation on the water-energy-food nexus, reinforcing the OSCE’s commitment to sustainable water management, energy security and environmental co-operation. It also serves as a source of inspiration to bring back home, as the “drops of the future” continue to shape perspectives in a positive way.