The International High Level Conference and the Workshop are organized in the framework of the UNECE Programme “Regional Dialogue and Cooperation on Water Resources Management in Central Asia”, supported by the Government of Germany through GIZ, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Logistic support is provided by the Executive Board of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea in the Republic of Kazakhstan (EB IFAS).

The International High Level Conference will take place on 25 October. The Workshop will start on 26 October in the morning and will conclude on 27 October at lunch time.

The International High Level Conference “Strengthening transboundary water cooperation in CentralAsia: the role of international water law and the UNECE Water Convention” is the concluding event of a series of capacity building activities held in 2009-2011 in the countries of Central Asia. The objectives of the International High Level Conference are the following:

• Provide a platform for an in-depth discussion of the content of key legal obligations under international water law, including their application to specific areas of water cooperation, such as water quantity allocation and water quality protection; management and safety of hydrotechnical facilities; planning new activities in transboundary basins; exchange of information; impacts of climate change on water resources and their use; protection and conservation of water-related ecosystems, etc.;
• Clarify the role of the UNECE Water Convention in international law and discuss and explain its provisions, in particular in relation to the mechanisms for cooperation;
• Review the opportunities to use international water law and the UNECE Water Convention for developing bilateral and regional cooperation in Central Asia.

The Workshop on the Protocol on Water and Health is organised in response to the interest demonstrated by Central Asian countries to this international legal instrument, which aims specifically at bringing together the water, environment and health sectors and facilitating the achievement of water-related Millennium Development Goals. The objectives of the Workshop are the following:

• Explain the content of the key provisions of the Protocol on Water and Health;
• Present the process of setting targets and targets dates under the Protocol as a mean to develop integrated cross-sectoral strategies;
• Exchange the experience gained by other countries in legal, administrative and technical aspects of implementation of the Protocol on Water and Health, in particular with regard to cooperation of water, environment and health sectors;
• Discuss opportunities for the use of the Protocol in the countries of Central Asia.

Over 60 participants will take part in the International High Level Conference and in the Workshop. This will include Central Asian delegations, non-governmental organizations and academia, as well as international organizations active in water and environment in Central Asia.

The working languages of the event will be Russian and English.