CAREC Institute’s Third Water Virtual Policy Dialogue

The CAREC Institute will host the Third Water Virtual Policy Dialogue on “Water Infrastructure in Central Asia: Promoting Sustainable Financing and Private Capital Participation” on December 4, 2023, from 15:00 to 17:00 Beijing time. The CAREC Institute’s Dialogue series is a new approach to knowledge exchange and capacity building dedicated focused on clusters of the CAREC 2030 Strategy.

Countries in the CAREC region still face some barriers in the water sector, such as large losses of irrigated agricultural water; risks in the public, state-owned and heavily regulated water sector make foreign direct investment, private financing and other forms of financing unattractive; and the water infrastructure built for the Soviet large collective farms became difficult to manage and largely unsuitable for modern agricultural production. Given the growing demand for water as a result of the high consumption and water intensity, governments in Central Asia now need innovative strategies to make more productive and efficient use of this vital resource. The best way to increase funding for the water sector is to pool private capital with the public. According to a recent report by the CAREC Institute, “Water Infrastructure in Central Asia: Promoting Sustainable Financing and Private Capital Participation,” infrastructure and relevant economic and financial regulations, which were developed during the Soviet period, for the water sector in Central Asia are outdated. The current water sector financial system still lacks efficiency and effectiveness indicators. While the investment environment in the water sector is not supportive of private funding, high competition for public funds led to a deficiency in financing the sector.

The event is aimed 1) to facilitate an open dialogue among leading water management experts and the private sector on long-term sustainable water sector financing solutions in Central Asian countries, 2) to discuss, analyze, and select the practical implications of water financing challenges and opportunities for Central Asia, and 3) to further explore policy recommendations to the governments by leveraging possible synergies to play the role of social regulator.

Simultaneous English and Russian translation will be available during the event.

To attend the Third Water Virtual Policy Dialogue, please register using the following link:

https://carecinstitute-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CLABs4cgSEeDWkxc8les5Q