Aral Sea Saving Action Plan approved in Kazakh capital
The 1st meeting of the Executive Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) chaired by Kazakhstan took place in Astana, Kazinform News Agency reports referring to the Government’s press service.
It drew participation of Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Yerlan Nyssanbayev, chairman of the executive committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) Askhat Orazbai, Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan Sulaimon Ziyozoda, Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Tangriguli Atakhalliyev, Advisor to the President of Uzbekistan Shukhrat Ganiev, and Kyrgyz Ambassador to Kazakhstan Dastan Dyushekeyev.
The meeting focused on the joint use of transboundary water resources and further measures to tackle ecological and socioeconomic issues in the Aral Sea basin.
The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) was founded in 1993 by five Central Asian countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Its goal is to unite the countries' efforts to mitigate the impacts of the Aral Sea crisis on the environment and population. The Fund finances joint interstate ecological and scientific programs and projects.
Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) from 2042 to 2026.
During the meeting, Kazakhstan suggested an Aral Sea Saving Action Plan. It consists of 10 directions and over 40 actions to develop the tasks of the heads of the founder states and the president of the Fund, to improve the Fund’s organizational structure and legal and contractual framework.
It prioritizes further development of two large-scale projects including the Aral Sea Basin Assistance Program (ASBP) and the Regional Program for Environmental Protection for Sustainable Development in Central Asia. 35 projects are being developed under the Aral Sea Basin Assistance Program (ASBP).
Following the discussions, those present approved the action plan of the IFAS executive committee under the chairmanship of Kazakhstan.
As earlier reported, the President of Kazakhstan set a task to plant saxaul seedlings on 1.1 million hectares of the Aral Sea’s dried bottom from 2021 to 2025, with 276,200 hectares to be planted this year. As of today, 19.4 million saxaul seedlings have been planted on an area of 65,000 hectares. Next year this area will be enlarged to 280,000 hectares.
Kazakh Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Yerlan Nyssanbayev suggested building an international center for the afforestation of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea and semidesert areas at the V Meeting of the Heads of Environmental Protection Ministries and Agencies of the SCO member states.
