Transforming Water Into a Bridge for Peace
How the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative translates hydrodiplomacy into practice.
Hydro-diplomacy
Science and diplomacy inform regional policy dialogues on strategic issues to advance regional water cooperation. Led by IWMI alongside IUCN and CAREC.
- High-level ministerial meetings
- Regional Working Group on Water Quality
- Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan Joint Working Group
Key Activities
- Annual Ministerial Water Forum
- MoU facilitation between riparian states
- Joint research with IWMI, IUCN & CAREC
Benefit-sharing
Small transboundary tributary projects demonstrate the benefit of water cooperation and enhance access to finance, addressing climate change adaptation and basin-management frameworks.
- Restored hydrological stations (TJ-UZ)
- Automated water accounting systems
- CICADA glacier monitoring project
Key Activities
- Small tributary pilot programmes
- Climate adaptation infrastructure
- Basin-management framework design
Capacity Building
Youth, the media, and the next generation of water professionals gain expertise to advance water cooperation. Collaboration spans government, civil society, academia, and private sector.
- 5 university laboratories established
- Master's scholarships in IWRM
- Central Asian Network of Academic Societies
Key Activities
- Youth Water Forum & hackathons
- Media training on water journalism
- Government-academia exchange programmes
Why does it matter in Central Asia?
How does Blue Peace approach it?
Water Realities in Central Asia
Since the 1990s, system fragmentation combined with escalating resource competition and climate impacts have strained agricultural, energy, and economic sectors across Central Asia.
With average irrigation systems over 50 years old, water losses exceed 40%. Water stress projections suggest scarcity by 2050. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins connect all five nations and require coordinated governance.