Astana to host 1st meeting of Water Convention in the Asia

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - On April 27, 2018 a briefing was held in Geneva for the representatives of the diplomatic corps and international organizations devoted to the preparation for the Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), which will be held in Astana from 10 to 12 October 2018, Kazinform has learnt from the press service of the Kazakh MFA.

During the briefing organized by the Permanent Mission of Kazakhstan to the United Nations Office in Geneva jointly with the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Permanent Representative of Kazakhstan Zhanar Aitzhanova informed that the meeting in Astana will be the first Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention in the Asian region during which Kazakhstan will take the chairmanship in the Water Convention for the period from 2019 to 2021 years.

Noting the importance of strengthening transboundary water cooperation for peace and stability, the Permanent Representative called on the countries sharing transboundary waters to actively participate in the Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention in Astana to discuss global challenges of water policy and further actions to promote the objectives and principles of the Water Convention.

The Kazakhstan's diplomat stressed that in the Address "Kazakhstan-2050" Strategy» President Nursultan Nazarbayev marked the projected severe water scarcity as one of the 10 global challenges of the 21st century.

Kazakhstan joined the Water Convention on October 23, 2000. Given that 45% of water resources in the Republic of Kazakhstan are replenished from neighbouring countries, cross-border cooperation for our state is vital to water security, requiring a comprehensive, integrated and strategic approach.
According to the Kazakhstan's diplomat, the issue of climate change and its impact on water resources, being an important aspect of water security, is among the priorities of Kazakhstan's future chairmanship in the Water Convention.

In conclusion, the Ambassador Zh. Aitzhanova informed the representatives of diplomatic missions in Geneva about the opening of the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC) in Astana in 2017, whose activities are aimed at supporting the Water Convention, strengthening cooperation with international organizations on water issues, and also to support Astana during its chairmanship in the Water Convention.

Deputy Executive Secretary of the UNECE Andrey Vasilyev and Secretary of the Water Convention Francesca Bernadini also delivered speeches during the briefing, wherein they welcomed Kazakhstan's initiatives to take up the Chairmanship of the Water Convention for a three-year period, on holding of the Eighth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention in Astana, and also establishment of IWAC in Kazakhstan.