International Water Assessment Center

💧 National Inception Workshop on Assessing Equitable Access to Water and Sanitation in Kazakhstan

🔹 On August 19-20, 2025, Astana hosted a national inception workshop for the project “Assessing Equitable Access to Water and Sanitation in Kazakhstan,” organized by the Ministry of Healthcare of the Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC).
🔹 The workshop brought together representatives of government institutions, non-governmental organizations, research bodies, businesses, and other relevant stakeholders engaged in water, sanitation, hygiene and health sectors.
🔹 The main objective of the workshop was to initiate the application of the Equitable Access Score-card 2.0, adopted by the Parties to the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health. This tool will enable Kazakhstan to carry out a comprehensive self-assessment of the equity of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services. The process will provide a deeper understanding of the current situation, help set priorities, and support the design of evidence-based measures to promote equity in this field.
🔹 Particular attention was given to the discussion of the state of access to safe drinking water, water supply and sanitation in Kazakhstan, highlighting disparities between urban and rural areas, water quality issues, and related health risks. Another key focus was on the methodology and benefits of the Equitable Access Score-card 2.0, with Armenia and Belarus sharing their experiences of applying the tool.
🔹 Participants also reviewed the upcoming national self-assessment process, including stakeholder mapping, approaches to data collection, and expected outcomes. The final part of the workshop was dedicated to group discussions, where the draft national targets under the Protocol on Water and Health were examined, with proposals for their revision and adaptation to current challenges. The opinions and suggestions expressed during these sessions will be taken into account in the further development of the draft targets.
🔹 The workshop helped raise awareness of the objectives and methodology of the “Equitable Access Score-card 2.0,” provided an opportunity to review preliminary findings of the baseline analysis on access to water and sanitation in Kazakhstan, and strengthen cooperation between national experts, government representatives, and other stakeholders. The inputs collected will make an important contribution to the process of reviewing and updating Kazakhstan’s national targets under the Protocol on Water and Health.

Eighth meeting of the Interagency Coordination Council of the National Water Policy Dialogue in Kazakhstan

🔹Astana, 8 April 2025 – the Eighth Meeting of the Interagency Coordinating Council of the National Policy Dialogue on Water (NPD) was held in Astana. The event was organized by the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC). It was conducted with the support of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), under the International Climate Initiative, funded by the Government of Germany.
🔹The meeting brought together the representatives of sectoral ministries, national companies, scientific institutions, expert and public organizations of Kazakhstan, as well as international organizations. The main topic of the meeting was the reform of water sector of Kazakhstan in the context of climate change and increasing pressure on water. Participants reviewed the progress made in implementing the Concept for the Water Resources Management of Kazakhstan until 2030, including measures related to the implementation of the new Water Code.
🔹Particular attention was given to climate change issues, especially the impact of climate factors on the hydrological regime of rivers. In this context, innovative approaches to the development of water monitoring system and water-saving measures in agriculture were discussed as part of broader adaptation efforts.
🔹Participants also addressed the key challenges in the operation of hydraulic infrastructure, raising issues related to improving operational efficiency, modernization, attracting investment, and introducing digital solutions to ensure the sustainable and safe management of such facilities.
🔹A new and forward-looking topic on the agenda was the availability of water for the production of green hydrogen. Participants highlighted the challenges and prospects of strategic water use planning, taking into account the potential water intensity of hydrogen energy production.
🔹A dedicated session of the meeting was focused on issues of water, sanitation, and health, including ensuring access to safe drinking water and sanitation and hygiene services.
🔹In his opening remarks, Mr. Aslan Abdraimov, Vice-Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of the NPD as a platform for consolidating the efforts of all stakeholders. He noted that the development of effective water policy is impossible without close cooperation between public authorities, the expert community, and international partners.
🔹At the conclusion of the meeting, participants agreed on the set of activities under the 2025 Work Plan of NPD, aimed at supporting water sector reform in Kazakhstan in cooperation with all relevant stakeholders.

For Reference: The National Water Policy Dialogue (NPD) has been conducted in Kazakhstan since 2012 with the support of the European Union under the implementation of the Water Convention. It serves as a platform for developing coordinated solutions in the field of sustainable water management. Its institutional foundation is the Interministerial Coordinating Council, established by decision of the Government of Kazakhstan.

Regional Workshop for countries of Central Asia on the SDG indicator 6.5.2

🔹 Regional Workshop for countries of Central Asia on indicator 6.5.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is planned to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, from February 12 to 13, 2025.

🔹 The availability of clean water is key to improving the well-being of the world’s population. In a semi-arid region like Central Asia, rational use of water resources and effective transboundary cooperation is necessary to ensure sustainable growth and achieve many Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water resources and sanitation for all”, with its target 6.5 ‘By 2030 implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate’.

🔹 SDG indicator 6.5.2 assesses the level of transboundary cooperation in water resources management. Reporting on this indicator can be an important tool for building trust among Central Asian countries and developing long-term strategies for joint management of water resources

🔹 The regional workshop is organized to ensure the exchange of best practices in preparation and use of reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2 for the development of water cooperation, as well as to facilitate the development of concrete measures to achieve SDG target 6.5 in Central Asia.

🔹 The workshop will bring together experts from government agencies of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan involved in the field of surface and groundwater management, environmental protection, representatives of international and public organizations, and other experts to identify key challenges in achieving indicator 6.5.2 in the region and develop specific measures to accelerate its achievement and strengthen cooperation in transboundary river and lake basins and aquifers in Central Asian countries.

🔹 The workshop will provide a platform for an in-depth understanding of the importance of reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2 and its benefits, as well as for strengthening the capacity of countries to prepare reports and coordinate this process at the basin level.

🔹The event is organized by the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the Scientific Information Centre of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC) of Central Asia with the financial support of the German Society for International Cooperation (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH).

Useful links :
- The report "Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation Mid-term status of SDG Indicator 6.5.2, with a special focus on climate change – 2024" on the websites of:
- UNECE: https://unece.org/environment-policy/publications/progress-transboundary-water-cooperation-mid-term-status-sdg
- UNESCO: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391407

- UNECE and UNESCO websites: https://unece.org/environmental-policy/water/transboundary_water_cooperation_reporting and https://www.unesco.org/en/ihp/transboundary-water-cooperation-reporting.

Tenth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention

🔹 The Tenth Session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) is taking place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from 23 to 25 October 2024. The Meeting is organized by the Government of Slovenia in cooperation with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

🔹The event is attended by more than 500 representatives of Ministries from about 80 countries in charge of water, environment, foreign policy and development cooperation, as well as representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, international financial institutions and academia from all regions of the world.

🔹The tenth session of the Meeting of the Parties is organized in the form of a high-level segment and a general segment. The high-level segment on climate change and transboundary cooperation will be held in the morning of October 23, 2024. The general segment, during which the Meeting of the Parties will review achievements under the current Programme of Work for 2022-2024 and consider proposals for future activities under the Programme of Work for 2025-2027, will take place from the afternoon of October 23 to October 25.

🔹For more than three decades, the Water Convention has served as a unique legal and intergovernmental platform promoting transboundary water cooperation, the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), strengthening peace and stability, as well as conflict prevention and joint climate action. Having become global in 2016, the Convention opened its doors to all UN Member States.

🔹The Meeting of the Parties, held every three years, is a key event for the international water community, setting the global agenda for transboundary water cooperation.

A working meeting on the results of the analytical study “Improving the System of Training and Professional Development of Personnel in the Field of Water Management in Kazakhstan”

🔹 On September 24, 2024, a working meeting on improving the education system in the field of water management in Kazakhstan was held in a mixed format, organized by the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC) in collaboration with the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MWRI RK) and the OSCE Programme Office in Astana.
🔹 The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the results of the analytical study aimed at assessing the current situation in the field of training and professional development of personnel in the water management of Kazakhstan and to develop measures to enhance the education system for water-related sector specialists.
🔹 The meeting was attended by representatives of government agencies, higher education institutions (HEIs), international organizations, and research institutes.
🔹 During the first session, the participants were briefed by representatives of HEIs on the problems and priorities of education in the water management of Kazakhstan, and the measures taken to improve education in this area were discussed.
🔹 The second session was devoted to discussing the results of the analytical study “Improving the System of Training and Professional Development of Personnel in the Field of Water Management in Kazakhstan”. Within the framework of this session, the participants considered the results of the analysis of the current state of educational programmes and institutions specializing in training personnel in the water sector. Special attention was paid to conceptual approaches to the development of the educational system, including modernization of the curriculum and improving the proficiency of teaching staff in foreign languages.
🔹 The event allowed to assess the current situation of the education system in the water management of Kazakhstan, to study the results of the analytical research, as well as to discuss further measures to enhance the system of specialists’ training and professional capacity building in the water sector of Kazakhstan.

Launching a project to improve water supply, sanitation, hygiene and health in Kazakhstan: meeting in Astana

🔹 September 4-5, 2024, Astana hosted a meeting on the occasion of the launch of the project “Improving water, sanitation, hygiene and health through implementation of the programme of work of the Protocol on Water and Health”. The event was organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) with the support of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan and in cooperation with the International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC).

🔹 The meeting was divided into high-level and technical segments. The main goal of the event was to raise awareness of the obligations and benefits of accession to the Protocol on Water and Health and to develop a better understanding of Kazakhstan's water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) and health needs. In addition, participants were provided with extensive guidance on the target setting, revising, and reporting process.

🔹 The meeting brought together representatives of government agencies, research institutes, international and non-governmental organisations, and other stakeholders working in the health and WASH.

🔹 The high-level segment featured presentations by representatives of Kazakhstan’s ministries and agencies on the status of water resources, WASH and health priorities and needs. The participants discussed the advantages of joining the Protocol and its key provisions. Special attention was paid to the project objectives, planned activities and expected results.

🔹 The technical segment of the event was devoted to a detailed review of the technical aspects of work under the Protocol. Representatives of UNECE and the World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Office in Kazakhstan presented a step-by-step process of updating the indicators, including identifying baseline data, setting deadlines and finding funding sources to achieve these indicators. The experience of the Republic of Belarus in setting targets under the Protocol was also showcased by an employee of the research institute “Republican Center of Hygiene Epidemiology and Public Health”.

🔹 On behalf of IWAC, Director Zhanar Mautanova made a report on the results of the activities carried out on the Protocol on Water and Health in Kazakhstan.

🔹 The event allowed experts to deepen their knowledge on the main provisions of the Protocol on Water and Health, to get acquainted with the project objectives and planned activities, and to discuss further steps to update the targets. Targets under the Protocol will help to improve standards for safe water supply, environmental quality and public health protection.

🔸On August 26, 2024, Astana hosted the third meeting of the Working Group on Tailings Safety. The event was organized by the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Kazakhstan (MES RK) with the support of the UNECE, OSCE and the International Water Assessment Centre.

🔸The meeting was attended by representatives of government agencies, industrial enterprises, and international organizations. Specialists from Armenia and Slovakia joined remotely and presented their experience on tailings safety and the prevention of accidental water pollution.

🔸The main attention was paid to improving industrial risk management mechanisms and preventing accidental pollution of water bodies in Kazakhstan. The participants discussed the prevention of industrial accidents, measures taken by operator companies to reduce risks, and the fulfillment of obligations under the UNECE Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents. Special emphasis was placed on the risks associated with climate change.

🔸The final session was devoted to the analysis of progress in the implementation of the Work Plan of the Working Group and consideration of the draft Plan for 2024-2025. The participants stressed the importance of strengthening interdepartmental cooperation and developing integrated solutions to improve industrial safety and prevent accidental pollution of water bodies in Kazakhstan.

🔸The Working Group remains a key platform for coordinating the efforts of specialists from various departments of Kazakhstan aimed at improving the safety of tailing dumps and water resources management.