ALMATY, Kazakhstan -On 28 April, a Summit of the Heads of States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) took place in Almaty and chaired by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

During the summit, the Executive committee of the IFAS was assigned to elaborate a new program on assistance to the population in the Aral Sea basin region and take all necessary measures to boost cooperation with international organizations and attract donors to the Fund’s work.

The Heads of State also informed their counterparts on completion by Kazakhstan of the first phase of the Project of Regulating the Syrdarya River Bed and Preservation of the Northern Part of the Aral Sea aimed at increasing in throughput of the riverbed and in water flow to the North Aral.

The participants of the summit discussed issues on joint management and use of water-energy resources of Syrdarya and Amudarya rivers.  The role of UNRCCA in facilitating solutions to water problems was expressly recognized.

Following the summit, the Heads of State issued a joint statement. The Joint Statement of the IFAS Summit called on state parties to strengthen IFAS and to develop cooperation with UN agencies and other international organizations, including UNRCCA.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has forwarded his message to the participants of the summit.