Feruza Alikulova

A panel discussion at the 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development” 2018-2028, in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Photo: Dushanbe Water Process With the United Nations’ ten-year water drive entering its final stretch, delegates from more than 100 countries gathered in Tajikistan  carrying a question that has haunted international water diplomacy for decades: why does the gap between pledge and delivery remain so wide?

Partners at the signing of a trilateral MOU between IWMI, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation in Kazakhstan, during the Regional Environmental Summit 2026.

In a region where climate pressures, rising demand and environmental stress are reshaping access to water, Central Asia’s shared rivers tie five nations together. The Amu Darya and Syr Darya flow across Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — making cooperation, dialogue and trust essential in managing these shared hydrological resources. Peaceful and collaborative transboundary water management is at the heart of Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA).