On March 13, 2026, a meeting of the National Dialogue on Water Policy in the Kyrgyz Republic was held in Bishkek. This thematic platform serves to coordinate the efforts of government agencies and international partners. It was established in 2008 in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Kyrgyzstan and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Its overall goal is to assist in achieving the water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through the coordinated efforts of government agencies and international development partners.
The meeting was opened by Mr. Abdybay Dzhailoobaev, Deputy Director of the Water Resources Service. He noted that much had been accomplished through the platform’s activities and cited the work under the Protocol on Water and Health to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) as a specific example. The platform’s participants’ efforts resulted in the adoption of targets on access to water and sanitation.
- Strategic priorities in the context of climate change and the new Water Code as the legislative basis for their implementation;
- Nature-based solutions for sustainable natural resource management;
- Water-saving technologies as a tool for water security and sustainable economic development;
- Integration of scientific research results and international cooperation on dam safety and sustainable water resource management.
The discussion of the first thematic issue focused on the Water Code, adopted on June 27, 2025. Key provisions related to integrated water resources management were presented by the Water Resources Service and concerned:
the establishment of a National Council on Water and Land Resources to develop coordinated measures to implement policies on water and land resource management, use, and protection at the national level (Article 10);
the establishment of basin councils (Article 11) and the development of basin plans for the development, use, and protection of water resources (Article 24);
restoration of the country’s regulatory system based on the issuance of permits for water use (Article 28).
Nature-based solutions are a relatively new approach to natural resource management in Kyrgyzstan. Representatives from the UNECE, the UN Environment Programme, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) highlighted opportunities for their promotion and international support in the country. These opportunities include promoting relevant policies, building capacity and attracting investment, supporting demonstration projects on sustainable pasture use, ecosystem restoration, and supporting protected areas through the IKI Nexus project, and establishing a Nature-Based Innovations Accelerator.
The discussion of the issues of water saving focused on preserving glaciers as the most important water sources for Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, and on the application of water-saving technologies in irrigated agriculture. A UNESCO expert presented the Central Asian Cryosphere Knowledge Platform, developed as part of the GEF-UNDP-UNESCO Cryosphere Project. Water-saving technologies in agriculture presented by the experts included drip and sprinkler irrigation, localized rainwater conservation, the use of water-retention practices, and the reduction of losses in irrigation canals. They also highlighted the opportunities to reduce water consumption through the use of information technology and improved forecasting of water use, including through promoting the use of relevant mobile applications by farmers.
Tamara Kutonova, Manager of the Water National Policy Dialogues Programme, UNECE
As part of the IKI project, we are also preparing analytical reports on international experience related to modern water saving challenges that Central Asian countries will inevitably face. This particularly concerns water use by data centers for cooling equipment and the extensive use of solar panels for groundwater extraction, which leads to overuse of groundwater».
During the thematic discussion on dam safety, information on the IKI Nexus project, implemented in this area, was presented. This includes support for the preparation of an updated regional review of hydraulic structure safety, online training seminars on risk assessment and dam safety monitoring, and the proposed establishment of an online Dam Safety Academy in Central Asia.
The meeting was organized by the Service of Water Resources of the Kyrgyz Republic, with substantive support from the Secretariat of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and financial support from the International Climate Initiative (IKI) of the Government of Germany.