The second phase of the European Union funded “Central Asia Nexus Dialogue Project: Fostering Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus and Multi-Sector Investment” is a continuation of the first phase of the project which is implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC).

This project is the part of the Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme in five regions of the world with financial support from the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The first phase of the project was implemented in five countries of Central Asia (CA) in the period from December 2016 to December 2019 years in partnership with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and with the support of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (EC IFAS), as well as a number of relevant ministries responsible for WEF issues.

TARGET GROUPS:

WEF related line ministries and experts, local authorities, CA Academic Network, International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

OVERALL OBJECTIVE:

Institutionalisation of WEF Nexus approach in national and regional governance structures and investment decisions for water, energy and food security in Central Asia.

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

To apply the WEF Nexus approach in planning, policy making and practical implementation;
To increase interest of public and private investors to support Nexus based projects in CA.

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IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGMENTS

To ensure coordination and alignment of activities during Phase II of the Project, the Regional Steering Committee (RSC) established in Phase I will continue to operate and a Technical Working Group (TWG) will be established for the small-scale transboundary demonstration project.

The Network of Academic Society (NAS) consisting of representatives of universities, professional development institutes and training centers that has been operating in Central Asia since 2013 with the support of the World Bank and CAREC, will be involved as an expert support to exchange academic knowledge, research development, modern methods and technologies in the field of sustainable management and use of natural resources.

The Global Nexus Secretariat (GNS) is a coordinating body for implementation of Nexus projects in different regions of the world. It supports exchange of knowledge and experience among project teams, coordinates development of methodological materials and tools required for planning, evaluation and implementation of Nexus projects.

CAREC, as an implementer of the Nexus Dialogue in CA Project, will ensure that the objectives of Phase II of the Nexus project are achieved, interested partners are informed and involved, as well as that project co-financing commitments are met.

Demo projects manifest the most important element of the Project and serve the platform for showcasing the Nexus approach in practice through the application of analytical products and finding technical solutions ensuring the WEF security. Based on the undertaken efforts and formulated solutions applicable to the demo projects, the investment proposals will be elaborated as the main Project’s output and offered for public, private and/or IFI financing.

Remarkably, the four selected demo projects address a variety of WEF security challenges:

1) Transboundary demo project between Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan “Tuyamuyun Hydroelectric Complex”;

2) National demo project in Kazakhstan “Afforestation of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea: piloting a closed root system” ;

3) National demo project in the Kyrgyz Republic “Institutionalization of the WEF Nexus approach in the agricultural sector”;

4) National demo project in Tajikistan “Improving the electricity consumption control and monitoring system at pumping stations and upgrading a large pumping station in Sughd Region in the Republic of Tajikistan based on energy-efficient technologies”

Another equally important component of the Project is an Interactive Nexus Game. The game was developed by the Polish organization Centre for Systems Solutions in collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. The game represents a facilitated process of playing five different scenarios on water, energy and food resources management between downstream and upstream countries. Each participant has a role and not only learns how to defend the issues of their sector, but also to hear other participants, argue their proposals and find compromises. The full Nexus Game takes up to 5 hours and is played using a map, colored tokens and cards.

The game vividly illustrates well-known problems and potential conflicts between upstream and downstream countries. During one of the scenarios, for example, participants can put themselves in the shoes of downstream countries that were not willing to tolerate water pollution from upstream countries.

Expected Results

Regional multi-sectoral Nexus dialogue is strengthened with support of the Regional Steering Committee and Technical Working Group established for the transboundary demonstration project;

One transboundary and three small-scale demonstration projects are implemented to serve as pilot sites to prepare:

- institutional and socio-economic assessments for all demonstration projects;

- simulation analysis (cost-benefit or trade off) for two demonstration projects;

- technical solutions for three demonstration projects;

Investment-ready proposals for two demonstration projects are developed and submitted to potential investors;

Analytical and planning tools relevant for supporting Nexus based decisions are tested in Central Asia;

Capacity of the WEF line ministries and national experts on the application of the Nexus tools for designing investment projects enhanced;

The vision to institutionalise the Nexus approach in national and regional governance structures and investment decisions is improved.

Наименование события	Дата проведения	Место проведения
2020
National Consultation Meetings in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan	10 September 2020	online
First meeting of the Regional Steering Committee	27 October 2020	online
2021
First meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project at THC	23 February 2021	online
Field visit to the North Aral Sea area within the demo project in Kazakhstan	27 April 2021	North Aral, Kazakhstan
Second meeting of the Regional Steering Committee	24 June 2021	online
Second meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project at THC	23 July 2021	online
First meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project in Tajikistan	28 July 2021	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Meeting of the Network of Academic Societies in Dushanbe and the Nexus Game	18 October 2021	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Second meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project in Tajikistan	21 October 2021	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Third meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project at THC	02 November 2021	online
Third meeting of the Regional Steering Committee	16 November 2021	Almaty, Kazakhstan
2022
Fourth meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project at THC	15 February 2022	online
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Kyrgyzstan	21 February 2022	Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Tajikistan	03 March 2022	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Uzbekistan	17 March 2022	Tashkent, Uzbekistan
Nexus training in Senegal	29 March 2022	Dakar, Senegal
3rd TWG Meeting of the Demo Project in Sughd Province, Tajikistan	06 April 2022	online
Nexus Game with RCC Members	11 May 2022	Bukhara, Uzbekistan
Fifth meeting of the Technical Working Group of the demo project at THC	11 May 2022	Urgench, Uzbekistan
4th meeting of the Regional Steering Committee	06 June 2022	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Second meeting of the Network of Academic Societies	09 June 2022	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Regional Conference on Strengthening Networking and Cooperation among Scientific Institutions in Central Asia	10 June 2022	Dushanbe, Tajikistan
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Kazakhstan	03 October 2022	Astana, Kazakhstan
Sixth meeting of the TWG for the transboundary demo project at Tuyamuyun Hydroelectric Complex.	26 October 2022	online
5th meeting of the Regional Steering Committee	05 December 2022	Almaty, Kazakhstan
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Turkmeistan	14 December 2022	Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
2023
Training of Trainers on the Interactive Nexus Simulation in Turkmenistan (7 and 10 February)	07 February 2023	Ashgabat and Dashoguz, Turkmenistan
Special Event to Promote Green Investments Based on the WEF Nexus Approach	22 February 2023	Rome, Italy
Nexus Final Conference	16 May 2023	Dushanbe, Tajikistan

Achievements to date:

· Four demonstration projects on the following tasks implemented:

1. To tackle the sedimentation issue at Tuyamuyun Hydro Complex (THC) (UZB-TKM)

2. To improve energy efficiency at pumping stations in Sughd region (TAJ)

3. To pilot a closed root system for planting saxaul seedlings on the dried bottom of the Aral Sea (KAZ)

4· To include WEF Nexus in the Agriculture Development Strategy of the Kyrgyz Republic for 2021-2025

· Initial concepts of investment projects developed for:

1. Technical solutions for the removal of sediment from the THC reservoir and the production of pilot products from sediment (brick, foam block, facing tiles), profit and loss analysis;

2. Smart and energy-efficient equipment at pumping stations in the Sughd region, Tajikistan;

3. Afforestation of the dried bottom of the Aral Sea;

. 16 analytical documents on Nexus approach and findings of Nexus demo projects prepared;

· 44 regional and national events on WEF Nexus held for 1227 participants (721 men / 506 women);

· 15 universities and public administration academiesfrom Central Asian countries involved to study the WEF Nexus approach and 7 memoranda of cooperation signed;