Towards the 6^th World Water Forum — Cooperative Actions for Water Security

Dear participants of the International Conference!

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, allow me to express my gratitude to

the Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan,
the World Water Council,
the Network of Water Management Organizations of the Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia,
the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation,
the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea,
the Global Water Partnership of Central Asia and Caucasus,
and the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan for the perfect organization of the Conference of such high level on the Uzbek land!

On behalf of the delegation of the Kyrgyz Republic, let me welcome warmly all the participants and wish successful and fruitful work!

This Conference is conducted as a part of the preparation for a global-scale event – 6th World Water Forum to be held at the beginning of the next year in Marseille. As you know, selection of the host-country for the upcoming World Water Forum is highly emblematic, since is was in Marseille where the World Water Council was officially established on 14th June 1996. The contribution of the World Water Council to raising awareness on the global water issues and political mobilization is more than convincing.

Kyrgyzstan attaches great significance to this Conference which is to formulate and agree on the regional agenda for the upcoming World Water Forum.

The thematic priorities of the roundtables of this Conference indicate to the necessity and vital importance of water resources for all spheres of human activity and ecosystems:

• Guaranteeing water for future generations
• Risk management and water security
• Adoption of innovations in agriculture in order to achieve food security
• International Cooperation on Transboundary Water Management on the Basis of International Water Conventions
• Integrated water resources management – as tool for balancing multiple uses of water
• Climate change and conserving environmental capacity
• Ensuring sustainable drinking water supply.

Let me briefly dwell on the main points that are consonant with the themes of the roundtables.

After having adopted the Water Code, our country follows the principles underlying therein: water resources management on the hydrographic basis; water resources conservation for the present and future generations; consideration of the interests of all water users and sectors; public involvement to the water management process. In other words, orientation is taken toward the wider implementation of integrated water resources management principles.

It is important for us to consider the interests in conservation and use of water resources for energy generation. The hydropower potential of the Kyrgyzstan’s rivers is estimated within 142-162 billion kWh, and here our republic ranks third among the CIS countries after Russia and Tajikistan.

The National Water Council was founded in 2006 in order to achieve the set goals. A year ago, a decision to set up new structures of basin water management was taken at the government level. Establishment of basin councils – river parliaments has started; their work will be aimed at the coordination of activities within river basin boundaries; basin plans have been developed for two basins. In the future, it is planned to continue the started work under the supervision of the established State Committee for Water Resources and Land Reclamation which is also entrusted with water resources management.

Then, I would like to dwell on the interstate cooperation under umbrella of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea is a regional platform for cooperation with the view of effective use of water resources, achievement of sustainable development in the basin and in the Central Asian region. As you know, drarfing of the third long-term regional Aral Sea Basin Program (ASBP-3) has been completed to date; it aims at sustainable development, improvement of water resources management, and environmental protection. We are hopeful that the Program, as a result of joint efforts of the donors, the Governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the civil society, and the EC IFAS, will be successfully implemented in the near future.

Our state, located in upper watershed of such great rivers as Amudarya, Syrdarya, Chu, Talas, and Tarim, has long experience of cooperation with the riparian countries Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan under umbrella of the pentalateral Interstate Commission for Water Coordination and on bilateral basis under the Interstate Chu-Talas Commission: with the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan-Tajikistan. Positive experience of collaboration within the Chu-Talas Interstate Commission has gained international recognition, and we find it necessary to expand the scope of this Commission; thus, for example, the both parties already acknowledged the need for the establishment of Interstate Basin Council and Interstate Information Center, and we will make every effort for implementation of planned measures.

Dear participants of the Conference, I think the effectiveness of water resources use can be assessed through such important criteria of the state development and stability as food security, national prosperity and health, high fertility and productivity of irrigated lands, stability and safety of ecosystems.

It should be noted that these issues are of our country’s concern and need to be solved. Thus, one of those is the reduction of areas under wheat – important basic crop, falling of its production and yields. The reason for this is the change of cropping pattern for more profitable crops, which adversely affects the food security.

In addition, I would like to underline increased degradation of the irrigated areas, which covered 100 thousand ha to date.

Like the whole world community, Kyrgyzstan is concerned with the climate changes that take place nowadays and the processes that ensue from these changes. First, this is melting of glaciers that are natural accumulators of atmospheric moisture and sources feeding rivers in summer. In Kyrgyzstan, the number of glaciers since 1977 has reduced by 22 %, i.e. from 8208 to 6445; at that, the most degradation in glaciation is observed in the basins of the Talas, Chu, and Tarim rivers. It is natural to expect a decrease in flow of the rivers that are fed from glacier and snows in 15-20 years. This, in turn, will have a negative impact on supply of water to irrigated lands, may lead to under-generation of hydropower. I think that adaptation measures should be worked out as early as now at both the national and regional levels and we all should make joint efforts toward this.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Program is devoted to the fighting against poverty and general rise of the living standards. According to the World Health Organization, 80 % of all diseases are caused by poor water quality, at that the most adverse situation is observed in rural areas.

To improve drinking water quality in rural communities, the National Program “Taza Suu” was developed and adopted. Within this program, the “Community-based infrastructure services” and “Rural water supply and sanitation” projects with the total amount of 69.5 M$ were implemented with the support of such donors as the Asian Development Bank and World Bank. As a result, about one million people of 509 rural villages have gained access to safe drinking water and improved sanitation.

Taking into account the fact that more than half of the villages in the Republic have not yet access to safe drinking water, the donors allocated additional funds to continue this work under the Program “Taza Suu” to the total amount of around 48 M$ till 2013.

I would like to point out once again that Kyrgyzstan has something to say on every selected topic of the Conference: this implies certain experience gained, achievements, and existing problems, as well as outlined plans and proposals for their implementation. In the course of the Conference, our high-level specialists will share this at the roundtable meetings.

Dear participants of the Conference, allow me once again to wish you successful and fruitful work!

Thank you for your kind attention!