Central Asia Bets on a New Water–Land Pact to Survive Environmental Degradation — International Points
SAMARKAND, Uzbekistan, June 10 (IPS) – As ministers, diplomats and growth officers assembled in Samarkand Congress Centre for a ceremonial household {photograph}, the temper carried uncommon symbolism. Behind the grins and formalities stood a area confronting a tougher actuality: rivers are shrinking, soils are tiring, temperatures are rising, and the outdated methods of managing land and water are not working.
For many years, Central Asia’s nations have wrestled with environmental pressures individually – water ministries worrying about irrigation, ministries of agriculture chasing manufacturing targets, and conservation companies defending fragmented ecosystems. However local weather change is dissolving these bureaucratic boundaries.
On the Eighth International Surroundings Facility (GEF) Meeting in Uzbekistan held from Could 30 to June 6, 2026, the 5 Central Asian nations formally launched implementation of the Central Asia Water and Land Nexus Programme (CAWLN) – a USD 30 million GEF-funded initiative applied by the Meals and Agriculture Group (FAO) and designed to handle water, land, biodiversity and meals programs as one interconnected system.
Supporters say the initiative may change into one of many world’s most carefully watched experiments in transboundary local weather adaptation.
“Everyone knows Central Asia faces rising environmental pressures linked to land degradation, water shortage, biodiversity loss, and local weather change,” mentioned Yerland Nysanbaev Minister of Ecology and Pure Assets of Kazakhstan, throughout the high-level roundtable. “However in response to that, the nations have come collectively to collectively handle these environmental points.”
Stretching from Kazakhstan’s grasslands to Tajikistan’s mountains and Uzbekistan’s irrigated plains, Central Asia is dependent upon shared river programs and fragile ecosystems that maintain greater than 60 million folks. But the area is warming sooner than the worldwide common, glaciers are retreating, drought cycles are intensifying and water competitors is rising.
Demand for water has change into one of many area’s defining vulnerabilities.
Almost half of Central Asia already suffers from land degradation, producing financial losses estimated at USD 6 billion yearly. On the identical time, rising populations and altering consumption patterns proceed to position extra strain on restricted pure sources.
The venture seeks to confront these pressures by way of what officers repeatedly described as a “nexus strategy”.
For Switzerland – one of many programme’s strongest supporters – the initiative represents years of regional engagement lastly converging right into a broader imaginative and prescient.
Addressing ministers and delegates, Katrina Schneeberger, State Secretary and Director of Switzerland’s Federal Workplace for the Surroundings, described the programme as a mannequin for the kind of environmental cooperation more and more wanted in a warming world.
“It focuses on nations in want, it fosters the mixing throughout environmental subjects, and it helps cross-border cooperation,” she mentioned.
Schneeberger argued that environmental policymaking has too usually handled ecosystems as disconnected items.
“For too lengthy, environmental subjects like desertification or water have been tackled individually,” she mentioned. “However in the long run, water and land points are related.”
Her rationalization was easy however highly effective.
“Effectively-managed land would require much less water, and correctly managed freshwater sources will enable for sustainable and productive agriculture.”
Switzerland’s assist for built-in environmental programmes in Central Asia stretches again a long time, together with transboundary initiatives underneath the Blue Peace Central Asia framework and former regional land administration programmes.
However officers say the brand new programme marks a shift in scale and ambition.
At its core, CAWLN seeks to maneuver from managing sectors individually to managing whole landscapes and river programs.
FAO Deputy Director-Common Godfrey Magwenzi framed the problem in international phrases.
“Local weather change, biodiversity loss, water stress, land degradation, and meals safety are interconnected throughout landscapes, river basins, and economies in Central Asia,” he advised delegates.
“Integration and cooperation matter to deal with transborder dangers, to assist nations act collectively on the drivers of vulnerability, and to speed up progress in direction of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Improvement.”
Magwenzi famous that since 2009, FAO has helped nations within the area mobilise practically USD 77 million in GEF financing.
One earlier regional initiative restored built-in administration throughout 2.8 million hectares of drought-prone and salt-affected landscapes whereas avoiding practically 9 million tonnes of emissions and strengthening resilience for thousands and thousands of farmers.
The brand new initiative is constructed round three main levers.
First, strengthening transboundary governance by creating mechanisms for coverage coordination and data sharing.
Second, supporting built-in motion straight on landscapes – from farms and forests to river basins.
Third, bettering evidence-based selections utilizing satellite tv for pc monitoring, geographic data programs and built-in information platforms.
Officers say know-how will change into central to implementation.
Earth remark programs will monitor water use, land degradation and ecosystem well being, whereas decision-support instruments will assist governments translate environmental information into sensible motion.
These instruments might show essential.
The area’s future is carefully tied to 2 rivers – the Amu Darya and Syr Darya.
Flowing from Central Asia’s mountains towards the Aral Sea basin, these rivers join nations, economies and thousands and thousands of livelihoods.
The programme combines 4 nationwide initiatives with basin-wide interventions and regional coordination mechanisms.
Nationwide initiatives will handle priorities starting from biodiversity conservation and pasture administration in Kazakhstan to agro-woodland restoration in Kyrgyzstan, climate-resilient agriculture in Turkmenistan and ecosystem restoration in Uzbekistan.
Regional parts will give attention to built-in water administration throughout the Amu Darya, Zarafshon, Panj, Syr Darya and Narin river basins.
Collectively, supporters hope these investments will restore multiple million hectares of land, keep away from thousands and thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions and enhance livelihoods for practically half 1,000,000 folks.
Francesca Carabini, who leads transboundary cooperation work underneath the UNECE Water Conference, reminded members that Central Asia’s experiments with nexus governance are already shaping international observe.
One of many earliest river basins assessed underneath the Water-Power-Ecosystem Nexus framework was the Syr Darya.
Throughout a separate press briefing, FAO local weather and atmosphere chief Kaveh Zahedi argued that agriculture, usually blamed for environmental degradation, should change into a part of the answer.
“The way in which we produce meals and assist farmers is straight related to the well being of our local weather,” he mentioned.
“It’s straight related to the well being of our soil and land. And it’s straight related to our water and ecosystems.”
Zahedi cited alarming international traits.
In 2024 alone, greater than 96 million folks confronted acute meals insecurity linked partly to climate extremes intensified by local weather change, whereas greater than 700 million folks proceed to stay with starvation.
But agriculture additionally presents alternative.
“Achieved proper, meals and farming can ship as much as one-third of the emissions reductions wanted whereas additionally defending nature.”
Responding to IPS questions on balancing biodiversity and financial wants, Zahedi rejected the notion that environmental safety and livelihoods should compete.
“The sustainable use of biodiversity could be very a lot on the coronary heart, together with sustainable agriculture,” he mentioned.
“It’s not nearly safety of biodiversity – it’s about conservation, regeneration, and sustainable use of biodiversity.”
He added: “You don’t want to inform a farmer how necessary it’s to have wholesome soils.”
Initiatives akin to agroforestry and panorama restoration, he argued, enhance resilience whereas defending incomes.
On the Meeting’s closing ceremony, GEF Interim CEO Claude Gascon had supplied maybe the clearest political message of the gathering.
“At the moment marks an necessary second for Central Asia and for the worldwide atmosphere as we enter the dash in direction of 2030,” he mentioned.
“The 5 nations within the area have as soon as once more joined environmental forces.”
Gascon described the programme as proof that nations more and more recognise that “water and land points are interlinked and are finest tackled collectively quite than in isolation.”
He known as the shift towards “whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches” important for the subsequent section of environmental motion.
Outdoors the venue, Samarkand’s summer time warmth supplied its personal reminder of what’s at stake.
Town perched alongside the Zarafshan River – one in all Central Asia’s historic lifelines and a spot the place questions of water, agriculture and survival have formed civilisation for hundreds of years.
At the moment, local weather change is forcing these questions again to the centre.
Whether or not the Central Asia Water and Land Nexus Programme succeeds will rely not solely on funding or coverage but additionally on whether or not nations can maintain cooperation throughout borders lengthy after the convention banners come down.
Be aware: This function is revealed with the assist of the GEF. IPS is solely chargeable for the editorial content material, and it doesn’t essentially replicate the views of the GEF.
IPS UN Bureau Report
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