SECOND CENTRAL ASIAN EXPERT FORUM

6 Sep 2019

SECOND CENTRAL ASIAN EXPERT FORUM

NUR-SULTAN/BURABAY, Kazakhstan

The second Central Asian Expert Forum took place on 5 and 6 September 2019 in Kazakhstan, in the cities of Nur-Sultan and Burabay. The United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) co-organized the event with the Kazakh Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Central Asia. This year’s theme was “Dialogue on Water Issues in Central Asia: From the National to the Regional Levels.”

Participants focused on key issues of ensuring regional cooperation aimed at addressing issues of water, energy, ecology and tourism in Central Asia. They also discussed ways to improve cross-border water management and mitigate the consequences of the desiccation of the Aral Sea to arrive at common strategies to generate new initiatives and promising ideas for the Governments of the Central Asian states in these areas.

SRSG Natalia Gherman expressed the readiness of UNRCCA to continue to support the regional initiatives and endeavours of all of the countries of Central Asia to consolidate regional peace and security through enhanced cooperation and building trust.

Proposals and recommendations put forward by participants will be disseminated to the region’s Heads of State to inform the agenda of their next summit-level Consultative Meeting.

In 2018, UNRCCA partnered with the leading strategic research institutions of all five Central Asian states to launch the Central Asian Expert Forum as an annual regional event.