Almaty, Kazakhstan – The third day of the 15th Central Asian Leadership Programme (CALP) was dedicated to climate change and water resources management, as well as to strengthening participants’ skills in effective communication and presenting research ideas. The program included the presentation of the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative, followed by a training delivered by the German-Kazakh University (DKU) for Young Leaders 2025 under the theme “Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management in Central Asia: From Research to Sustainable Solutions.” Participants learned how to transform research results into clear and persuasive messages for policy and decision-making processes in the fields of climate change and water management
As part of the Blue Peace Central Asia session, organized under the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia’s (CAREC) Water Initiative Support Program together with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), participants were introduced to the main directions of the Swiss initiative aimed at empowering youth and women. The program featured a lecture on the role of media in expanding opportunities for women and youth in water management, as well as an interactive discussion of case studies on successfully engaging young people in environmental agendas through media technologies. Country representatives shared their views on how various stakeholders influence climate and water challenges, which have the greatest impact, and which remain underestimated. The session concluded with a presentation by Azamat Kauazov (CAREC), who introduced new opportunities for applying climate data and digital solutions for the region through the Central Asian Climate Information Platform (CACIP).
A key element of the DKU training was a discussion on communication gaps between science, business, and policy, moderated by Ekaterina Gorshkova and Maria Genina. Throughout the sessions, participants repeatedly emphasized that effective climate adaptation is impossible without strengthening dialogue and engaging young specialists.
The practical part of the day was conducted by Veronika Nasalskaya (DKU, founder of “Nassalskaya School of Public Speaking”), who provided participants with techniques for public speaking and presentations. The program concluded with an interactive session where young leaders presented innovative ideas on climate change adaptation and water resources management, receiving valuable feedback and recommendations from DKU experts.
Day 3 of CALP clearly demonstrated that combining scientific knowledge with the ability to communicate it effectively to a broad audience is key to transforming research into real sustainable solutions for Central Asia.
The 15th CALP is organized by CAREC with the financial support of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) within the framework of the Blue Peace project, as well as in partnership with the Kazakh-German University (DKU).
Additional information:
Valeria Orlova - Manager of the “Education for Sustainable Development” program, CAREC, esd@carececo.com
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