Ashgabat (TDI): Kazakhstan has proposed the establishment of a specialized United Nations agency dedicated to the sustainable and equitable management of global water resources, citing growing water scarcity and the absence of a single authoritative body within the current UN system.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev put forward the proposal while addressing a forum in Ashgabat marking the International Year of Peace and Trust and the 30th anniversary of Turkmenistan’s permanent neutrality. He stressed that global water diplomacy remains fragmented and lacks institutional strength.
“At present, there is no specialized UN agency focused exclusively on water,” Tokayev said, pointing out that UN-Water functions only as a coordination platform rather than an independent body with a mandate, budget, or enforcement authority.
UN-Water currently brings together more than 30 UN agencies and dozens of international organizations working on water and sanitation issues. Unlike organizations such as the World Health Organization or the Food and Agriculture Organization, it operates without decision-making powers—an institutional gap that water policy experts have long highlighted.
Kazakhstan, Tokayev said, is proposing the creation of an International Water Organization that would consolidate existing water-related mandates under a single UN framework. He suggested transforming the current UN-Water mechanism, comprising 36 UN entities and 47 international organizations, into a fully-fledged specialized agency.
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Central Asia, Tokayev noted, is among the regions most vulnerable to water stress, with climate change, outdated infrastructure and competing national demands placing severe pressure on shared river systems. Disputes over transboundary water use have periodically strained regional relations, making water management a strategic concern.
“The implementation of such an initiative fully aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and serves the interests of the entire international community,” he said.
Tokayev also announced that Kazakhstan will host a Regional Environmental Summit in April 2026, during which Astana plans to launch international consultations on forming the proposed global water body. “With sufficient political will, water-related challenges can be addressed systematically rather than through fragmented and temporary measures,” he said.
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The Kazakh president highlighted the growing urgency of water conservation across Central Asia, warning that declining water levels in the Caspian Sea have reached alarming levels. Scientists attribute the trend to climate change, reduced river inflows and increased evaporation, raising concerns over fisheries, energy infrastructure and regional economic stability.
He also drew attention to the deteriorating ecological conditions of both the Aral and Caspian Seas, calling for stronger regional cooperation. Tokayev proposed enhancing the effectiveness of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea and suggested inviting Russia to join the fund as an observer.
“The current pace of the Caspian Sea’s shallowing risks becoming irreversible,” he warned, adding that it could trigger environmental, socio-economic and political consequences.
Kazakhstan has already positioned itself as a regional leader on Caspian conservation, previously proposing a special intergovernmental program to counter environmental degradation in the region. Tokayev urged the international community to support these efforts.
Any move to establish a new UN specialized agency would require broad international consensus, approval by the UN General Assembly and agreement on funding and governance, processes that typically take years. Tokayev framed the proposal as the beginning of consultations rather than an immediate institutional overhaul.
