NUR-SULTAN – The sixth meeting of the Inter-agency Coordination Council of the National Water Policy Dialogue (NPD) took place on-line under the chairmanship of Mr Yerlan Nysanbayev, Vice-Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Key national stakeholders, including representatives of academia, civil society, Delegation of the European Union (EU) to Kazakhstan and international organizations attended this event.
National Water Policy dialogues have been taking place in Kazakhstan since 2013 with the support of the EU, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The dialogue has served as a platform for discussing Kazakhstan’s water policy in an inter-sectoral and multi-stakeholder setting, in the spirit of integrated water resources management.
On the agenda was Kazakhstan’s cooperation with its neighboring countries on the protection and use of water resources of transboundary rivers, priorities for the national water sector development.
Participants also discussed the importance of sustainable water resources management, safe and equitable water supply and sanitation in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, Mr Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Kazakhstan, stated: “The current COVID-19 crisis has clearly demonstrated our dependence on water for sanitation and hygiene as a key to prevent and fight infectious diseases. The European Union stands ready to continue supporting Kazakhstan in water policy development and implementation and mobilising investments to the sector to build back better in the post-pandemic recovery.”
Participants were also informed of the activities of the EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation (WECOOP)” and of the current status of Kazakhstan’s accession to the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health.
The meeting was organised by the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of Kazakhstan with the financial support of the EU and with technical support from UNECE, OECD, and the International Water Assessment Center.
Background: The EU-funded project “European Union Water Initiative National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) in Central Asia” (September 2019 – September 2022), implemented by UNECE in cooperation with OECD, aims to enhance integrated water resources management and inter-sectoral coordination for water security at the national level in Central Asian countries to support sustainable development. The project is implemented as part of the EU-funded project “European Union – Central Asia Water, Environment and Climate Change Cooperation” (WECOOP).
For additional information, please contact:
Mr Alisher Mamadzhanov
UNECE Environmental Affairs Officer
email: alisher.mamadzhanov@un.org
Ms Nurgul Smagulova
WECOOP Event and Communication Officer
email: nurgul.smagulova@wecoop.eu
mobile/WhatsApp +77012066760
Ms Yerkezhan Amriyeva
Political, Press and Information Section
EU Delegation to Kazakhstan
email: yerkezhan.amriyeva@eeas.europa.eu
EVENT MATERIALS: https://wecoop.eu/events/kazakhstan-npd-6th-meeting-icc/