Project “Local Multi-sectoral Efforts for the CAI Water Dialogue”

Location: Central Asia

Objectives

• Develop the base to set up multi-sectoral working groups for each CA country in order to develop locally based project proposals: one on transboundary water management between two transboundary localities, another one on local IWRM approach for each CA countries.

• Raise funds for implementation of projects and implement them on the multi-sectoral base

• Arrange CAI Water Resources Dialogue in use of cases of projects under implementation and its best practices replication

Relevance of the Action

The Central Asian Initiative on Sustainable Development (CAI) is an initiative supported by Central Asian Governments and assigned to establish, through cooperation with donors, multi-sectoral partnerships between governments, local authorities, private sector, NGO and CBO for addressing major environmental problems in Central Asia (CA) and promotion of sustainable development. Coordinated approach to the water management is declared as one of the key focuses of CAI.

Water related environmental problems are most complex in CA. There is more than a decade long sub-regional water cooperation between CA countries. In the meantime, such cooperation focused only on water distribution, but not on water quality. Poor water quality endangers not only downstream but also upstream users. Access to the quality water supply is an issue for most of the sub-region. Inefficient water use is another serious issue, especially in a view of water scarcity.

Target Group Governments of CA, water and environmental management authorities, local authorities, communities, CBOs and NGOs

Activities

• Arranging regional consultation of experts to identify key in-country and transboundary water problems and localities: one in each country and one transboundary locality for projects to be implemented under multi-stakeholder group coordination and addressing sectoral barriers in water management

• Formation in consultations with appropriate stakeholders the multi-stakeholder national and bilateral transboundary working groups

• Development of project criterion and proposals by working groups

• Fundraising for project proposals

• Arrangement of CA workshops to review progress of project development and then its implementation

• Arranging water dialogues at subregional level to review project implementation and to discuss further multi-sectoral cooperation

Outputs and expected results

Face 1

- National and multilateral working groups had provided fruitful discussions to develop project proposals, ownership of which ensured by multi-sectoral nature, local and national interests in projects outcomes

- Feasible (logically built) and sizable for local implementation project proposals with visible outcomes, strong local commitment and ownership ensure interest of investors and donors

Face 2

- Implemented projects and supplemented activities have provided best practices for replication and built capacity for implementation of other projects and ensured multi-stakeholder participation in water resources management as well as understanding of IWRM importance over the whole CA

- CAI dialogue on water resources through project activity receives necessary bottom up and multi-stakeholder support and provides natural interest and subjects for sub-regional dialogue on water resources

Methodology

CAREC in cooperation with CA Governments support, local authorities, and communities will set up national and transboundary working groups to identify localities in each country with specific water problems to be addressed and to formulate project proposals. Upstream and downstream countries will identify together one transboundary locality and each country will identify in-country locality for project implementation. For such purpose, national working groups will identify in-country locality, will design in-country project, and for transboundary project two national groups will set up joint a working group. A dozen numbers of workshops are to be arranged to share project implementation experience and issues.

CAREC already held one meeting of experts from Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan and identified three localities for transboundary projects. The next step is to raise funds for those projects.

Duration and Indicative Action Plan

Project is to be implemented within two years.

Documents:

• National seminar in Kyrgyzstan (project action report)
• National seminar in Kazakhstan (project action report)
• National seminar in Tajikistan (project action report)