On October 16, a roundtable discussion was held at the “Archabil” hotel in Ashgabat, organized by the USAID Regional Water and Environment Project (WAVE) jointly with the State Water Committee of Turkmenistan. The event aimed to identify potential donors for the implementation of the roadmap for basin management and planning in Turkmenistan.

The WAVE project aims to strengthen technical capacity and regional cooperation on transboundary water management in Central Asia. Its goal is to increase stability, economic prosperity and ecosystem health in the region.

The round table was attended by representatives of the State Committee for Water Management of Turkmenistan, the Turkmen State Scientific, Production and Design Water Management Institute “Turkmensuvylymtaslama”, the

Production Association “Marysuvhojalyk”, the Association “Garagumdaryasuvhojalyk”, international organizations and the WAVE project team.

The main topic of discussion was the developed Roadmap of possible basin councils in Turkmenistan with the prospect of introducing the principles of integrated water resources management (IWRM).

The program of the event included:

• Overview of the activities of Basin Councils in Central Asia
• Presentation of the legal basis for the establishment of Basin Councils in Turkmenistan
• A detailed examination of the “Road Map of Basin Councils” developed for Turkmenistan

The round table was moderated by Anna Vladimirova, IWRM Coordinator of the USAID Regional Water and Environment Project.

The event concluded with summing up and closing remarks by representatives of the State Water Management Committee of Turkmenistan and the USAID mission in Turkmenistan.