OSCE supports workshop on common water management, environmental challenges in Afghanistan and Tajikistan

DUSHANBE, 28 January 2013 – The OSCE Office in Tajikistan, in co-operation with the Ministry of Water Management and Land Reclamation of Tajikistan, organized today a one-day workshop on common water management and environmental challenges in Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

The aim of the event was to help raise awareness of and identify solutions to some of the most pressing water management and environmental challenges faced by Afghanistan and Tajikistan.

“Today’s event contributes to the dialogue between the two countries aimed at facilitating the exchange of information and sharing best practices in river basins management in the region,” said Hans Peter Larsen, the Deputy Head of the OSCE office in Tajikistan. “It is an opportunity for reinforcing the relations between Tajikistan, Afghanistan, the OSCE and other international organizations, and for strengthening the basis for further transboundary activities in the economic and environmental area involving Afghanistan.”

Some 70 participants from Tajikistan and Afghanistan representing foreign ministries, other relevant ministries and agencies dealing with water resources, agriculture, environmental protection and disaster management, as well as staff of embassies and international organizations active in water management and environment in Central Asia took part in the event.

The workshop focused on water management, hydrological and ecological monitoring, disaster risk management, environmental degradation and climate change, with a special attention given to the upper Amu-Darya river basin.

This initiative is a result of consultation with the host Government and international partners in 2011. It is part of the OSCE Office’s efforts to facilitate transboundary water co-operation mechanisms between Tajikistan and Afghanistan along the Panj River, with the aim to contribute to the improvement of integrated water resources management in Tajikistan and address water management, environmental protection and energy security challenges at national and regional level, with a particular attention to Afghanistan.