Tashkent: The Third Meeting of the Basin Dialogues in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Basins and Partner Dialogue, held on 2-3 December 2025 in Tashkent, marked a significant step towards enhancing climate-sensitive water resources management in Central Asia. The event aimed to fortify partnerships, establish a sustainable platform for exchanging experiences, and coordinate future steps in water management, alongside celebrating the Amu Darya and Syr Darya River Days.
According to European Union, the meetings gathered representatives from national ministries across Central Asia and international organizations working in water resources management. Mr. Andreas Unterstaller, Programme Manager at the EU Delegation to Uzbekistan, highlighted the importance of the Basin Dialogue as a trust-building platform for addressing shared water challenges amid a changing climate. He emphasized the interconnectedness of water, energy, and climate as pillars of Central Asia’s sustainable future, and the role of the EU’s Gl
obal Gateway in transforming cooperation into concrete projects and strategic investments.
Mr. Joachim Fritz, Country Director of GIZ for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, stressed the necessity of regional cooperation for sustainable water management. He underscored the shared responsibility among countries to build trust, share knowledge, and develop long-term solutions collaboratively. Adding to this, Mr. Andrin Fink, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Switzerland in Uzbekistan, emphasized the dialogue’s role in identifying solutions and coordinating actions to ensure efficient, equitable, and sustainable use of water resources.
The discussions during the event focused on key topics such as the main results of the GIZ|SDC|EU project activities in 2025, joint efforts in preserving ecosystems in the Amu Darya basin, and collaborative work in the Syr Darya basin aimed at enhancing climate resilience. Participants also examined economic cooperation mechanisms in the Amu Darya basin, considering ag
reements made at the level of Heads of State. The outcomes of grant projects with GTK Finland and the Slovakian State Water Management Enterprise were also presented.
As a conclusion to the meetings, participants agreed on further actions to implement climate-sensitive water management methods and explored ways to enhance the efficiency of joint projects while mitigating associated risks.
The initiative is part of the larger “Green Central Asia” framework, launched by GIZ in 2023, with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-financing from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In collaboration with the European Union, the program aims to integrate the EU-Central Asia platform on environment and water cooperation, fostering synergies and increasing investment for a regionally integrated green transformation. The Joint Water Programme seeks to bolster national and regional capacities for integrated water resources management, improving cooperation a
nd governance for sustainable development in Central Asia.