Basin Councils and Plans as an instrument of regional cooperation. Case studies from Central Asia
On April 17, the closing day of the World Water Forum, CAREC has given a session on “Basin Councils and Plans instrument of regional cooperation: case studies from Central Asia” at US Pavilion in Gaundgu city, Korea. Manager of the Water Initiatives Support (WIS) Programme Ms. Ekaterina Strikeleva has reported CAREC’s activities on transboundary cooperation in the selected transboundary basins of Central Asia. She underscored the importance of basin councils as a platform for water dialogue and institutional environment for cooperation. The main principles of work of basin councils are following: bottom-up approach, local needs and problems, involvement of all stakeholders, planning skills and low cost principle.
It was also noted in the presentation that basin planning is the key for successful WRM reforms, as the problems are addressed at appropriate level and at the systematic base.
Amongst the basic principles of the basin planning are participation of all stakeholders and planning through learning. Recent successful example: advancement of transboundary water cooperation due to the establishment of Small Basin council in Aspara river basin.