The project will unite the five Central Asian countries of the Aral Sea Basin and Azerbaijan to turn shared water priorities into investment-ready projects.
October 22, 2026 | By IWMI
Across Central Asia and the South Caucasus, countries are facing increasingly interconnected water challenges, including droughts and floods, glacial retreat, changing water availability, saline intrusion and aging infrastructure. Weather and water are unconstrained by borders, so collaboration across basins is imperative to successful water and disaster management.
To help respond to these shared risks, the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) has launched Strengthening Transboundary Water Collaboration for Climate-Resilient Water Management, a new technical assistance project under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Water Pillar, with support from the Asian Development Bank.
Participants of the Third CAREC Water Pillar Working Group Meeting, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photo: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
The project began in June 2026 and will run to October 2027, implementing across the five Central Asian countries of the Aral Sea Basin — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — as well as the Kura River Basin interface in Azerbaijan.
Though water risks transcend borders, many of the institutions, investment projects and management responses to address risk remain national. IWMI aims to bridge this gap by connecting regional cooperation, scientific evidence and investment preparation.
From regional priorities to practical action
The project builds upon ongoing regional efforts to translate shared water management priorities into coordinated action, as countries seek practical solutions to transboundary climate risks, water security challenges and investment needs.
IWMI presented the project’s inception brief at the Third CAREC Water Pillar Working Group Meeting, held in Almaty, Kazakhstan from July 15–16. Delegations from participating countries also introduced eight regional and subregional project proposals, reflecting a range of priorities across the region.
Participants discuss potential regional and subregional water investments during a breakout session at the Third CAREC Water Pillar Working Group Meeting, Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photo: Asian Development Bank
Across Central Asia and the wider region, the proposed initiatives reflect the diverse challenges countries face in managing water resources and the opportunities for more sustainable and cooperative solutions. In Azerbaijan, the focus is on developing river-basin management plans for the Kura Basin to support more sustainable water use. In Kyrgyzstan, proposed efforts aim to strengthen the climate resilience of key dams. In Tajikistan, the emphasis is on strengthening regional water institutions to support better-informed water management decisions.
Together, the proposals demonstrate that regional water cooperation can take many forms, from infrastructure modernization to improved basin planning. Their value extends beyond individual countries, creating opportunities to improve the management of shared water resources, enhance cross-border coordination and build resilience to climate-related challenges across the region. Technical assistance from IWMI researchers will help assess these ideas, identify their regional value and refine the strongest concepts for potential investment.
Pathways for stronger cooperation
This approach is designed to move beyond cooperation as dialogue alone toward cooperation that produces practical tools, stronger institutions and investment-ready solutions.
Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, IWMI regional representative for Central Asia, speaks at the Third CAREC Water Pillar Working Group Meeting. Photo: Asian Development Bank
IWMI will work with existing regional institutions and networks to assess capacities, identify gaps and strengthen mechanisms for coordination and knowledge exchange. This includes engagement with organizations such as the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination and its Scientific Information Center, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basin water organizations, and the CAREC Water Pillar Working Group.
The project will also support the development and improvement of shared water productivity assessments; drought, flood and heat early warning systems; regional water information platforms; and water-energy modeling. These tools enable countries to work with comparable information and strengthen decision-making.
To build a credible investment pipeline, the candidate projects proposed in Almaty will be screened against regional and national priorities and strengthened through technical analysis before being developed into concept notes and other project preparation documents. The process will consider technical feasibility, climate risks, economic and financial aspects, institutional responsibilities, and environmental and social safeguards.
Bringing science and investment closer together
For decades, IWMI has worked with governments, researchers and water users across Central Asia in the fields of hydrology, climate-risk analysis, remote sensing, basin modeling and water governance. This expertise will feed directly into project preparation.
“IWMI’s role is not to choose projects for countries, but to make the choices clearer and the selected projects stronger. The project approach emphasizes bringing scientific evidence and technical expertise into the process of regional project preparation,” said Iskandar Abdullaev, project lead and senior researcher at IWMI.
Laying a foundation for further project preparation and investment discussions will help participating countries and development partners assess opportunities for financing and implementation of climate resilient water management. This is a key step in turning ideas and aspirations into coordinated, investable and measurable action, so that regional water cooperation is reflected not only in stronger dialogue, but in greater resilience, productivity and water security across borders.
Iskandar Abdullaev, project lead and senior researcher at IWMI, speaks at the Third CAREC Water Pillar Working Group Meeting. Photo: Asian Development Bank
People
Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, Iskandar Abdullaev
Research
Water, climate change and resilience > Climate policies, finance and processes
Funders & Partners
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC)
Projects
Climate-Resilient Transboundary Water Management in Central Asia
Locations
Asia > Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan
Tags
Finance and investment for water, Regional frameworks, River basin management, Security, Transboundary river basins
Source:https://www.iwmi.org/news/iwmi-launches-initiative-to-strengthen-transboundary-water-cooperation-in-central-asia/
