Promoting regional water sector dialogue and cooperation in Central Asia through knowledge networking, partnerships and education

Brochure “Promoting regional water sector dialogue and cooperation in Central Asia through knowledge networking, partnerships and education”

International Conference

March 3 – 4, 2021, Zoom online

The annual international conference “Promoting regional water sector dialogue and cooperation in Central Asia through knowledge networking, partnerships and education”, March 3 and 4, 2021, on the Zoom platform, from 12 am to 16 pm Almaty time.

The objective of the conference is to convene on a virtual platform a broad group of water sector stakeholders including academia, seasoned and young water professionals, international development partners, regional institutions from Central Asian countries and beyond in order to:

share the results of recent CA KN activities,
hear from international partners and CA regional representatives about their initiatives in water sector capacity building and in promoting national and regional dialogue on most acute water sector development issues,
bring in international and regional practice and experience in teaching water engineering disciplines with the focus on linking education, research and practice,
discuss innovative learning modalities, including online and blended education programs.

Target audience: Representatives of Central Asian universities, research institutions, academia, think-tanks, water sector practitioners, young professionals, international development partners

Activity partners: The conference will be organized in cooperation with national and regional universities, international development partners, including EU, USAID, SDC, UNESCO and others.

Conference languages: Russian and English with simultaneous interpretation

Conference Agenda

Activity structure and presentaions:

The first day is devoted to presenting and discussing coordination and cooperation among various regional networking initiatives which promote regional capacity strengthening in water sector and people-to-people dialogue.

Session 1

• CAWEP CA Knowledge Network – how to eat an elephant: overview of approaches and activities. Ms. Julia Komagaeva, Country Operations Officer, the World Bank

• EU – overview of the EU programs and projects in CA countries. Robert Brudzynski

• SDC – overview of the SDC water sector capacity building under the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative. Ms. Stephanie Piers de Raveschoot, Water Programme Manager, the Division Global Programme Water GPW within the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)

• UNESCO – working in the area of science, education and capacity building on water in CA region. Ms. Kristine Tovmasyan, UNESCO

• USAID – new Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment (WAVE) project overview. Mr. Richard Volk, Chief of Party,USAID Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity

Session 2

• CAREC – Partnership with the WB CA KN around the Academic Network and student competitions – how effective partnerships yield long lasting results. Ms. Saltanat Zhakenova, Climate Change Specialist, The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)

• Syr-Darya Basin Women Forum of Tajikistan – mission and activities. Ms. Shohida Tulieva, Forum Coordinator

• CAY4Water Network overview of activities. Ms. Lyazzat Syrlybayeva and Ms. Cholpon Aitakhunova, Network regional coordinators.

• EU Water Initiative National Policy Dialogues on IWRM in Central Asia as intersectoral multistakeholder platforms to drive water reforms: lessons learned from more than 10 years of operation and future prospects. Mr. Alisher Mamadzhanov (PhD), Environmental Affairs Officer, European Union Water Initiative National Policy Dialogues, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNCE)

• EU-Central Asia Network on Water Science and Technology. Mr. Richard Burger, Policy Officer for International Cooperation in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Research & Innovation.

The second day is devoted to a discussion about viable approaches to linking education, research and practice in high school curricula, international partnerships between universities, youth research opportunities based on the existing best international and regional CA practices, as well as new learning modalities, including online learning and joint education programs.

Session 1

What type of modern young water professionals in required by the water sector – practical insight Mr. Anatoly Ryabtsev, Doctor of Technical Sciences, General Director of “Kazgiprovodkhoz” Project Design Institute LLP, Director of the International Water Center (Water Hub), Kazakh National Agrarian Research University.

Overview of supply and demand in water education in CA countries – the SDC study results. Ms. Bota Sharipova, Consultant, SDC.

• Experience in linking education and applied research in Kyrgyz Republic. Ms. Elena Drugaleva, Head of the Chair”Amelioration and Water resource management”, The Kyrgyz National Agrarian University n.a. K.I. Skryabin (KNAU)

• Issues of preparation and provision of scientific cadres to research and applied structures of Tajikistan. Mr. Dilshod Umarov, General Director of GU TajikNIIGiM, Ministry of Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan.

• Lessons of experience in conducting applied research on the example of the takyr restoration project in Turkmenistan – how to better structure educational process, development of analytical skills and scientific work skills among students. Mr. Batyr Mamedov, Head of the Secretariat of the International Commission on Sustainable Development (ICSD), IFAS

• Ensuring integration of education, science and practice in Uzbekistan water sector education cycle based on the experience of TIIAME. Mr. Abdulkhakim Salokhiddinov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Prof., Vice-Rector for International Cooperation, TIIAME, Uzbekistan

Assessment of specialists in the water sector of Kazakhstan, including the water supply and sanitation sector, Valery Syundyukov, President of the Association “Kazakhstan Su Arnasy”

Session 2

o WB CA KN – organizing vurtual training seminars on approaches to design and teaching online courses. Mr. Vitaly Nagornov, Consultant, the World Bank

o Reflections from the TIIAME experience. Mr. D. Khodzhaev, associate professor,Head of the educational and methodological department of TIIAME

• Central Asia Climate Information Platform (CACIP) helping stakeholders to access, analyze, and visualize public-domain data. Mr. Zafar Makhmudov, Executive Director, The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)