Tokayev urges Central Asian countries to address water crisis together
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed the establishment of a project office for Central Asian countries in Almaty and to hold a regional climate summit in Kazakhstan in 2026, under the auspices of the United Nations and other international organizations. Tokayev emphasized that climate change is closely related to water issues and called on more funding for the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea to prevent an environmental disaster in the region. He warned that the water level of Central Asia’s two largest rivers, the Syrdarya and Amudarya, will decrease by nearly 15% by 2050. Tokayev also noted that droughts and floods in the region cause annual damage of 1.3% of GDP, with crop yields decreasing by 30%, and warned that this may lead to the emergence of five million climate migrants by 2050. The President urged for resources and cooperation to decarbonize and build a green economy at the necessary pace. Kazakhstan, he said, can offer huge green economy opportunities and become a center of renewable energy.
