Tajikistan and International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea

Tajikistan since the early days (March 26, 1993) establishment of an International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) as one of the initiators in the line of Central Asian states is an active participant in this organization. It should be noted that the aim of creating IFAS primarily aimed at overcoming the ecological crisis and improving the socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea, recognized by the international community one of the biggest disasters of the XX century.

The founder of IFAS are the states of Central Asia Kazakhstan, Kyrqyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

IFAS Executive Committee is working on a rotation basis, moving from country to country.

Kazakhstan was the chairman of the IFAS from 2010 to 2013. In May 2013 during the international scientific-practical conference dedicatet to the 20th anniversary of the IFAS, the chairmanship of the Fund for the Aral Sea has been transferred to Uzbekistan.

The desire of Tajikistan aimed at mutually beneficial cooperation and respect between the interests of the countries of Central Asia, which is part of the IFAS is the embodiment of the benevolent policy of good neighborly relations.

The activities of this organization is particularly fruitful evaluated in 2002-2008, when the President of this Fund was the President of Republic of Tajikistan E.Rahmon. At this stage, IFAS continued its activities as one of the structures of inter-State coordination in Central Asia to carry out the important problems in the region and to major of the plans, in particular the strengthening of cooperation between Central Asian countries and various international organizations and financial institutions.

In general, during the Presidency of the Republic of Tajikistan in IFAS were signed significant of legal documents. In particular, the Dushanbe Declaration of Heads of Central Asia (October 6, 2002) the most important positions were:

• strengthening the role of the Executive Committee of IFAS for coordination of donors activities and attraction of funds for implementation of projects and programs;

• creating necessary conditions for international organizations and institutions in their activities on attracting funds for implementation of projects and programs;

• The need for establishing a special UN commission being responsible for coordination of international organizations and donor countries in resolving the Aral Sea Basin.

Holding on the initiative of Committee of IFAS and decision of the IFAS Board created a Regional Centre of Hydrology (RCH) on 28 August 2003. Its activities are aimed at improving water resources monitoring system of five Central Asian countries in accordance with international standards. In addition, between IFAS, UN European Economic Commission, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (June 3, 2004) signed a Memorandum of mutual understanding. In particular, the IFAS joined in the World Water Council in June 2008.

Achievement of Tajikistan in this field is undoubtedly display of the initiative of President of the Republic of Tajikistan, President of IFAS Imomali Rahmon to declare 2003 the International Year of Fresh Water and the International Decade for Action "Water for Life (2005-2015)" which were maintained by the UN General Assembly .

In particular for the implementation of the important goals were carried out following international events:

The International Fresh Water Forum (Dushanbe, 29 August-1 September 2003);

International Conference on Regional Cooperation in Transboundary River Basins (Dushanbe, May 30-June 1, 2005);

International Conference on Disaster Reduction, to water (27-28 June 2008);

International Conference of the Decade for Action "Water for Life (2005-2015)" (Dushanbe, June 8-10, 2010.).

The documents adopted during the presidency of Tajikistan on the IFAS laid foundation for further development of a positive process to address regional, sub-regional and global related water problems, in particular for stabilization of the degradation processes in the Aral Sea.