Events
Meeting on the Regional Excellence Center for Water, Energy and Land Nexus
24 April 2025
On 24 April 2025, an online meeting was held within the framework of the project "Regional Mechanisms for еру Low-Carbon, Climate-Resilient Transformation of the Energy-Water-Land Nexus in Central Asia" financed by the Government of Germany under the 2020 International Climate Initiative (IKI) and implemented by the OECD in partnership with UNECE, SIC ICWC, EBRD, and FAO.
The meeting was dedicated to discussions on establishing a Regional Center of Excellence for the nexus approach. Key experts of the Expert Platform in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, along with representatives of SIC ICWC, took part in the meeting.
The initiative aims to build a partnership between researchers and experts, with broader engagement of youth and women, to promote the nexus approach and foster collaboration both within the scientific community of Central Asian countries and between science and policy sectors.
Participants reviewed the progress of the work and agreed on the next steps.
During the meeting, a brief overview of the Center and a questionnaire for potential members and partners were presented. The participants discussed the key thematic areas for the future Center, emphasizing the need to focus on priority topics, the format of communication with experts, and the involvement of new organizations.
In addition, the participants discussed the parallel research on water heritage in the region. The objective of the study is to explore water-related heritage across Central Asian countries, assess its role and value, and identify its potential for addressing current and future challenges, as well as contributing to sustainable development. A compendium on water heritage in Central Asia will be developed as part of the research. It is planned to involve not only water experts but also specialists from other disciplines, thus creating a multidisciplinary/nexus group of authors.
Finally, the participants made relevant decisions regarding each area of work and agreed to hold regular online working meetings.
