CAREC supports adoption of the water sector reform programme in Tajikistan
On 12 April 2016 in Dushanbe, CAREC supported the 10th a meeting of the Steering Committee of the National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on water resources management. The Government marked 5 years’ anniversary of the dialogue process in Tajikistan and approved the Water Sector Reform Programme for 2016-2025. Preparation of the reform programme lasted over 3 years.
Aim of the Water Sector Reform Programme is to create framework for transition to the water resources management according to hydrographic borders and to clarify the competencies of different national institutions involved in water sector. The management of water resources according to hydrographic borders (river basin principle) will replace current system of management according to administrative borders and forms cornerstone in implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). It is expected that transition to basin management takes place by 2020. Different international donors are currently engaged in developing the River Basin Management Plans for all basins, a precondition for transformation to the basin principle. The sound management of water resources by Tajikistan is important for the entire region of Central Asia as it’s located in upstream of major transboundary rivers of Amy Darya and Syr Darya.
The first step of the water sector institutional reforms were implemented in late 2013, when the functions of water sector policymaking and the management of the irrigation infrastructure were divided, ending the potential conflict of interests that existed when the same institution was responsible for both water policy and managing water infrastructure. The adoption of the Water Sector Reform Programme by the Government on 30 December 2015 initiates the next steps in legal and institutional changes necessary for management and protection of water resources in Tajikistan.
Note to editors
Policy dialogues are based on consultations with relevant ministries, agencies and institutions (including science and academia), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), parliamentary bodies and other national and international organizations.
the NPDs and their Steering Committees have become national coordination mechanisms for water-related projects carried out under the auspices of international organizations (e.g., the EU, UNECE, UNDP, the World Bank and OECD) and donor countries. This contributes to a more efficient use of available funds. NPDs are under way in the following countries of the region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Republic of Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.
For more information on CAREC water initiatives, please visit: www.carececo.org