Astana (TDI): The Coordination Council of Partners for the Development of the Water Sector of Kazakhstan held its second meeting in Astana, co-chaired by Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, and Katarzyna Wawiernia, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Resident Representative in Kazakhstan.
The Council, which first convened on September 30 last year, comprises the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the UNDP, and over thirty global partners, including financial institutions and international development organizations.
The second meeeting reviewed the Council’s work over the past 6 months and discussed strategic priorities for sustainable water management.
A key topic was the 2024-2030 Partnership Water Initiative, adopted in September last year, which outlines long-term objectives for resilience and innovation in the sector.
Nurzhigitov discussed the Council’s role in developing productive cross-sector partnerships.
“In just six months, we’ve reached concrete deals and launched new projects with partner nations, development institutions, financial organizations, and leading companies. The Ministry has inked three deals and sixteen memorandums with global partners from the Netherlands, France, Israel, China, Germany, Spain, the USA, the Islamic Development Bank, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Eurasian Development Bank, and UNDP,” he said.
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Five new cooperation deals were signed during the session. The Ministry inked a communiqué with Spain’s Xcalibur Smart Mapping to carry out underground water resource mapping in western Kazakhstan.
A Statement of Intent was inked with the Islamic Development Bank and UNDP to enhance the technical capacity of Kazakhstan’s water sector, with a focus on digitalization, climate resilience, flood forecasting, and policy development.
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A deal between the Ministry’s Information and Analytical Center for Water Resources and the Eurasian Development Bank set up a grant to develop a National Water Resources Information System by 2026. The project aims to increase efficiency, transparency, and equity in water distribution.
Kazvodkhoz, the Ministry’s national enterprise, inked a communiqué with PowerChina International to expand collaboration, including training seminars in China for Kazakhstani specialists (the first group of thirty participants is already attending a 2-week program)
Kazvodkhoz also inked a memorandum of collaboration with Primus Capital Almaty LLP, aimed at developing small hydropower plants at national water facilities.
