WHO To Open Regional Office In Kazakhstan's Kyzylorda To Address Aral Sea Crisis

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) ASTANA, Kazakhstan, September 19. A new regional office of the WHO, aimed at tackling the challenges tied to the Aral Sea, will be set up in Kazakhstan's Kyzylorda region, Trend reports via Kazakhstan's Ministry of Health.

This decision was made following a meeting involving representatives from the World Health Organization and leaders from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Participants discussed the scale of environmental changes and their impact on human health, climate, and biodiversity.

Several important decisions were made as a result of the meeting:

To open a regional WHO office in Kyzylorda focused on the Aral Sea issues;

To prepare and approve an interstate Action Roadmap;

To propose a resolution on the Aral Sea for the WHO Summit in April 2026.

"The Aral Sea problem is recognized as one of the largest environmental crises of the 20th century, with its consequences still affecting residents of the Aral region. For decades, the area has faced desertification, soil degradation, the spread of toxic dust, and other challenges that directly impact public health," the statement reads.

At the same time, significant steps have been taken in recent years to stabilize the situation. Thanks to joint efforts, the drying of the northern part of the sea has been halted, large-scale greening of the dried seabed is underway, and projects are being implemented to reduce the negative impact of the catastrophe.

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