About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Central Asia and Caucasus

9/1/2010

Central Asia Towards Transboundary IWRM

Key challenges in Central Asia are the degradation of ecosystems and increasing water deficiency. It is a region of scarce water resources, many of which cut across national borders. The intensive use of the limited resources leads to conflicts of interest, making transboundary water resources management crucial to the sustainability of the region’s resources.

A priority for water management has been given to meeting the basic needs of human beings and the economy demand. The end result has been the disaster drainage of the Aral Sea and its coastal zone with occurrence of heavy losses of biodiversity. With the independence of five pre-Soviet states, the management of the Aral Sea Basin has become transboundary, which further complicates it as a mix of environmental, economic and political issues across states.

In 1994, the Aral Sea Basin Program -1 (ASBP-1) was signed by five states as joint efforts towards transboundary management of the Aral Sea Basin. In the end of 2009, an action plan was further approved by the Board of five states to develop ASBP-3, in which IWRM with consideration of interests of all states was identified as the main objective and framework. ASBP-3 will be implemented from 2011 to 2015 as the first phase.

The Central Asian countries now have achieved a consensus on the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management as a solution for the chronic water nuisance in this region. GWP Central Asia and Caucasus is playing an important role in facilitating the process, involving various stakeholders leading to the strengthening of water management organizations in Central Asia through the sustainable capacity building network.

An important element of the water management program ASBP-3 is the establishment of the Central Asian Water Information Base (CAREWIB).It aims at improving the information dissemination in water and environmental sectors in Central Asian countries in order to promote transparency and to foster public support for rational natural resources use. A bibliographic database was developed, and an E-library was built, which includes e-versions of publications, international and national water law documents, international conventions, and other knowledge generated in the region.

Read the full case study in the GWP ToolBox.

Page last edited: 1/20/2011