On 24 April 2022 in Kumamoto, Japan, the 4th Asia-Pacific Water Summit, organized by the Government of Japan together with the Asia-Pacific Water Forum, completed its work.
Within the framework of the Summit, 9 thematic sessions were organized and held on various priority topics of the region. The Executive Committee of IFAS co-organized two sessions (1) “Water and the environment from source to the sea – Multilevel management for a sustainable natural and social environment” and (2) “Water and food – Sustainable management of water resources in agriculture in the Asian region”, and contributed on the preparation and conduction of the sessions on “Water and Disasters/Climate Change – A Comprehensive Effort to Move to a Sustainable and Resilient Path in a Changing Climate for All” and “Building Peace and Regional Stability with Water – Lessons from History and culture.”
These sessions were attended and delivered respectively by Mr. Serikkali Brekeshev, Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan (video message), Mr. Gyuzgeldy Baijanov, Chairman of the State Committee for Water Resources of Turkmenistan (video message), Mr. Daler Juma, Minister Energy and Water Resources of the Republic of Tajikistan (offline) and Mr. Azimjon Nazarov, First Deputy Minister at Ministry of Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan (offline).
The speakers presented the current situation and prospects for the development of issues related to the topics of the sessions in the context of the Central Asian region. In particular, the problems of the drying up of the Aral Sea and its negative consequences for the population and economies of the countries of the region, the impact of climate change, the increase in natural disasters related to water, the increase in water consumption to meet the growing needs of the population and the economy in electricity, food, ensuring environmental sustainability and etc.
The summit concluded its work with the adoption of the Kumamoto Declaration (https://www.4apws-kumamoto2022.jp/common/pdf/0422_Kumamoto_Declaration.pdf).
It should be noted that the Summit is one of the important stages in the preparatory process for the UN 2023 Water Conference, which will be held in March 2023 under the chairmanship of Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
The results of the Summit will also be presented and discussed within the framework of the Second Dushanbe Water Decade Conference on 6-9 of June of the current year, which is also stated in the Kumamoto Declaration.
