Activity II.1 Cross-regional stocktaking and II.2. Assessment of inter-sectoral governance on nexus planning

Сontributing implementing partner

Description of Activities:

SIC ICWC will contribute to UNECE-led activities on сross-regional stocktaking of on-going and past initiatives on the nexus and understanding inter-sectoral governance on nexus by updating the relevant databases and developing a yearbook “Water in Central Asia and Globally”. The Yearbook aims to summarise the key activities of the Central Asian countries and development partners on water-energy-land-environment nexus and serve as a source for better coordination of national and regional efforts on water and related issues.

Activity II.3. Regional “Hotspot Analysis” on nexus related challenges

Сontributing implementing partner

Description of Activities:

SIC ICWC provides input to a study that analyses and maps place-specific challenges associated with climate change and energy, water, and land-use management across the Central Asia region. The role of SIC ICWC could also include identification of relevant regional policy makers and non-state actors, including academia, in Central Asia, from whom the OECD may obtain input or feedback on this Output Area as well as preparing assessments of water security at administrative units of the Aral Sea basin as part of the Nexus Hotspot Analysis.

Activity II.4 Support for the Design of a regional Centre of Excellence on the nexus approach for young professionals

Lead implementing partner

Description of Activities:

SIC ICWC will develop a document that proposes a design of Regional Centre of Excellence for the nexus approach, with a view to enhancing capacity of practitioners, including representation of youth and women, in the nexus approach and building trust and networks among present and future policy makers, and facilitating evidence-driven and knowledge-based cooperation in Central Asia.

The design and function of the Centre will build on existing platforms such as the EECCA3 Expert Platform on Water Security, Sustainable Development and Further Studies, as well as the ICWC Regional Training Center. Drafts of the design will be disseminated to and reviewed by relevant regional policy makers and researchers in Central Asia.

Activity II.5 Improvement of access to data through digitalisation and automation

Lead implementing partner

Description of Activities:

SIC ICWC will work on improving access to knowledge base of existing CAWater-Info.net portal, including refining data structures in an ad-hoc way over time, enhancing and renovating on nexus- and climate-related data. The portal will be re-designed and populated with new data. The updated portal will also include e-databases on projects on water, energy and land nexus in the CA countries; key stakeholders on water, energy and land nexus; and water security hot-spots (if required).

SIC ICWC will work with its national experts in the Central Asian countries and obtain monthly information on the main parameters of the Regional Database (RDB). In doing so, SIC ICWC will improve the user interface and redesign RDB through reprogramming a more modern language and integrating RDB with a GIS window based on open GIS API.

SIC ICWC will also work on automation of hydroelectric facilities with Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems for managing and accounting for water resources to ensure a fair distribution of water, reduce unproductive losses of water resources, transparency of water intake and distribution at transboundary hydraulic structures. SIC ICWC will conduct a survey of the technical condition of gauging stations and assess the need to equip automated gauging stations in the Syr Darya river basin and conduct a number of technical assessment studies for an automation of facilities selected by the countries (including a list of regulatory and methodological documents for which a feasibility study was developed).