Blue Peace Central Asia Steering Committee reviewed six months of regional progress

The second Steering Committee meeting of the Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) project convened on 2 July 2026 in hybrid format, bringing together representatives of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), IUCN, and CAREC to review the project’s progress over the first half of 2026 and set priorities for the months ahead.

Since the first Steering Committee in November 2025, BPCA has convened and supported some twenty events at national, regional, and international levels - from technical working groups to high-profile platforms such as the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana and the Dushanbe Water Conference. Behind the numbers lies a consistent thread: strengthening the dialogue, institutions, and evidence base that Central Asian countries need to manage their shared waters cooperatively.



Under the project's hydro-diplomacy pillar, a regional water quality working group agreed on priority parameters and carried out a joint sampling exercise at hydroposts on the Syr Darya River - a practical example of countries generating shared data together. A regional vision for water and climate was developed, identifying five priority areas ranging from glacier monitoring to climate service centres, two of which will be taken forward as project concepts. Work on environmental flows is also gathering pace: following the first Regional E-flow Workshop, Uzbekistan has formally established a national working group on environmental flows, to which BPCA will contribute, while the Kyrgyz Republic has included e-flows in the new edition of its Water Code.

A water quality study tour to Switzerland, planned for September 2026, was approved by the Committee, and preparations continue for a visit by a high-level delegation from Blue Peace Middle East later in the year - connecting Central Asia to a wider global community of water cooperation practice.
The project's work on small transboundary tributaries reached a milestone with the selection of the Isfara River Basin, shared by the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan, as the first pilot basin. Comprehensive basin assessments are now being prepared, alongside support to bilateral water commissions and basin councils, the institutions that will carry cooperation forward long after the project ends.



On the capacity-building side, the regional Master's programme in water diplomacy is moving from design to development: eight partner universities are on board, three trilateral memoranda have been signed, and the structure of ten teaching modules has been agreed. A regional research competition and a Youth Water Solutions Incubator drew strong interest from young researchers, and a new cohort of women in water diplomacy was selected. A regional gender gap assessment, six national reports to be consolidated into a policy-oriented document - was completed and will inform advocacy at regional and global levels.



Looking ahead

The Committee endorsed strategic priorities for the next six months, including identifying a second pilot basin, deepening synergies with partner initiatives in the region, and preparing for major upcoming platforms, including the UN Water Conference. Partners also underlined the importance of continued dialogue on engaging all riparian countries in regional water cooperation.
The Steering Committee provides strategic guidance for the project, reviews implementation progress, and helps ensure that activities remain aligned with regional priorities and partner expectations. The Blue Peace Central Asia project is funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by IWMI and IUCN in partnership with CAREC.