IWMI Celebrates 25 Years of Water Cooperation in Central Asia

From pioneering canal governance in the Ferghana Valley to region-wide hydro-diplomacy, a quarter century of work highlights how science and cooperation are reshaping water security across one of the world’s most water-stressed regions

The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) marked 25 years of operations in Central Asia during a milestone event held May 21 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The gathering brought together senior government officials, foreign ambassadors, development partners, and researchers to reflect on a quarter century of work advancing water security across a region increasingly defined by climate stress and competition over shared river systems.

A Region Under Growing Water Pressure

Central Asia ranks among the most water-stressed regions in the world, and the pressures on its river basins are intensifying rather than easing. The region’s water systems depend heavily on glacier and snowmelt from the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges, which feed major transboundary rivers including the Syr Darya and Amu Darya. As climate change accelerates glacial retreat, the predictability of seasonal water flows is diminishing, even as demand for water continues to climb alongside population growth and expanding agricultural and industrial activity.

The consequences are already visible: more frequent and severe droughts, increased flood risk, and mounting competition between upstream and downstream countries over how shared rivers should be managed. Because major basins like the Syr Darya cross national borders, water management in Central Asia has historically been as much a diplomatic challenge as a technical one — making cooperation between the five Central Asian states essential to long-term regional stability.

It is within this context that IWMI’s regional work, launched in 2001, has taken on particular significance.

From the Ferghana Valley to Region-Wide Cooperation

IWMI established its regional presence in Central Asia in 2001 and has since worked across all five countries in the region — Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — partnering with governments, communities, researchers, and development organizations to address some of the region’s most persistent water challenges.

The institute’s early work centered on the Ferghana Valley, a densely populated and agriculturally vital area that spans the borders of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. In partnership with the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, IWMI helped introduce a series of reforms aimed at improving how water was allocated and managed across the valley’s shared canal systems.

Among the most significant innovations was the introduction of participatory canal governance, which gave farmers and water users a direct voice in allocation decisions that had previously been made solely by administrative authorities. This led to the creation of Joint State–User Canal Management Bodies — institutions accountable to both government authorities and the communities they served. The approach marked a deliberate shift away from managing water according to administrative boundaries, toward managing it according to the natural boundaries of river basins and canal systems — a principle that has since become central to transboundary water management across the region.

Building Trust Through Practical Cooperation

Over the following two decades, this localized model of cooperation expanded into a broader regional effort, most notably through the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative. While international narratives about Central Asian water resources have often emphasized tension and rivalry between upstream and downstream states, IWMI’s work tells a more nuanced story: more than 100 local and tributary-level water-sharing agreements have been established across the Syr Darya basin alone, demonstrating that practical, community-level cooperation can build the trust necessary for joint management of shared resources.

These grassroots agreements have been reinforced by advances in technology. The adoption of Earth observation tools and digital water information systems has strengthened transboundary monitoring capabilities, giving governments and stakeholders more reliable, transparent data on water availability and use. This has, in turn, supported more climate-resilient planning and enabled a more data-driven approach to cooperation across national borders.

Looking Ahead: A Roadmap Through 2030

IWMI’s work in the region is far from finished. The institute’s Regional Strategic Roadmap for Central Asia, covering 2024 to 2030, sets out priorities focused on strengthening climate resilience, improving water productivity in agriculture, and further advancing digital and data-driven water management systems across the five countries.

IWMI has indicated it will maintain an active on-the-ground presence in the region, with continued work on protecting ecosystems, building drought resilience, and supporting equitable access to water and sanitation services. The institute’s researchers and policy experts also plan to continue advocating for transboundary cooperation and what is increasingly referred to as “hydro-diplomacy” — the use of diplomatic engagement to manage shared water resources peacefully and productively.

Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, IWMI’s country representative in Central Asia, struck an optimistic tone about the road ahead. “The challenges are significant, but the opportunities for cooperation, innovation and collective action are even greater,” she said. “We look forward to the next 25 years together.”