Central Asian Countries Adopt Summary On UN Aral Sea Program
The summary was adopted following the Second Consultative Meeting of Central Asian Countries on the UN Special Program for the Aral Sea Basin (UN SPAS), held in Turkmenistan's Avaza National Tourist Zone on September 11-12, according to the press release issued by Turkmen Foreign Ministry.
According to the report, the document sets out approaches to determining the format, legal framework, functioning mechanisms and financing of the UN SPAS.
The meeting brought together representatives of relevant ministries and agencies from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as regional and international organizations. The participants exchanged views on further regional cooperation in the Aral Sea basin and considered the priorities of Central Asian countries for the development of the UN Special Program, the report says.
The meeting was organized by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the State Committee for Water Resources, with the support of the UNDP/GEF project and in cooperation with the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative.
For reference, the Aral Sea basin is a shared water and environmental system covering all five Central Asian countries. Its deterioration has created long-term environmental, water-management and socio-economic challenges, making regional cooperation a key element of efforts to address its consequences. The UN has supported regional approaches to mitigating the impacts of the crisis and strengthening cooperation on water resources.
The UN Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin is intended to provide an additional framework for regional and international cooperation. In 2023, UN ESCAP adopted a resolution on considering the modalities for establishing the program, including a study on its viability and possible mechanisms.
A UN ESCAP study published in 2025 examined possible formats for the program, including cooperation between Central Asian countries and the UN, coordination with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and links with regional climate and disaster-resilience initiatives.
The United Nations Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin (UN SPAS) is being developed as a framework for strengthening regional and international cooperation to address water, environmental and disaster-related challenges in the Aral Sea basin. The initiative was advanced through UN ESCAP, which adopted a resolution in May 2023 on considering the modalities for establishing the programme.
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