EDB Published Regional Integration Survey

The EDB’s survey entitled The Effect of Climate Change on Water Resources in Central Asia is out of print. This survey contains an assessment of risks relating to climate change, and various scenarios of its influence on the environment and socioeconomic conditions in the region.

Climate change poses a serious threat to the global economy and the environment. In Central Asia, it affects primarily water resources whose condition in turn determines various aspects of national and regional security. The assessment of the current condition of water resources in Central Asia in the context of climate change is an urgent task, and it is necessary to address it in order to develop an efficient mechanism of water resources management. The need to secure sustainable and safe water use in Central Asia will require governments to develop new forms of co-operation based on integrated water resources management. Measures to mitigate the consequences of climate change and adapt to them must be included in all national and regional development plans, programmes and strategies. To date, climate change is a matter of fact, and the question is not whether or not we have to adapt to it, but how we do it.

Bearing in mind the special role of water resources in the socioeconomic development of Central Asian countries, the Bank aims to support states interested in addressing cross-border environmental problems and offers technical assistance in this field. Related information can be found in this review and on the Bank’s official website.