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OSCE-UN meeting works out details for new Kazakhstani-Kyrgyz water management commission
ALMATY 30 March 2004
ALMATY, 30 March 2004 - Regulations and financing arrangements of a new regional water resource management between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were discussed at a meeting held in Almaty last week.
The meeting, which was organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), is part of an effort to create a Kazakhstani-Kyrgyz water usage commission for the Chu and Talas rivers.
"Water resource management in Central Asia is a priority issue for the OSCE," said Beata Martin-Rozumilowicz, the Centre's Officer-in-Charge. "Conflicting interests over water resources can become a serious cause of tension and such activities offer an important window of opportunity for strengthening regional co-operation between Central Asian nations."
The commission was initiated by the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in February 2002, who requested assistance from international organizations in establishing an inter-governmental trans-boundary water commission.
During the meeting held on 26 March, delegates discussed the commission's regulations, recommendations on an expense calculation mechanism, and shared financing for repair and maintenance of inter-state water facilities. A draft programme on river basins resource management was also debated.
This important meeting, the fourth in a series, is part of a two-year project which is financially supported by Estonia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.
The meeting, which was organized by the OSCE Centre in Almaty, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), is part of an effort to create a Kazakhstani-Kyrgyz water usage commission for the Chu and Talas rivers.
"Water resource management in Central Asia is a priority issue for the OSCE," said Beata Martin-Rozumilowicz, the Centre's Officer-in-Charge. "Conflicting interests over water resources can become a serious cause of tension and such activities offer an important window of opportunity for strengthening regional co-operation between Central Asian nations."
The commission was initiated by the governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in February 2002, who requested assistance from international organizations in establishing an inter-governmental trans-boundary water commission.
During the meeting held on 26 March, delegates discussed the commission's regulations, recommendations on an expense calculation mechanism, and shared financing for repair and maintenance of inter-state water facilities. A draft programme on river basins resource management was also debated.
This important meeting, the fourth in a series, is part of a two-year project which is financially supported by Estonia, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.