Shared Waters, Shared Futures. Central Asia collaborates on a common Water Agenda

With ongoing climate change, Central Asia is one of the most intense global hotspots. Water scarcity is an emerging threat for both households and agriculture. Dust and sandstorms from dehydrated territories are another outcome of water loss.

Central Asian historical nomadic lifestyle is deeply rooted to the local arid conditions – migrating to find water and grazing lands. But new sustainable practices should be elaborated as the majority of the regional population now lives in cities.

How can we redesign the urban fabric of Central Asia to gently incorporate water in it – not as a resource but as a precious part of the ecosystem?

We need to join forces of both governments, businesses and local communities – to find balance between sustainable urban development and water ecosystem restoration. To enrich this perspective, the session fosters a unique cross-regional peer-to-peer dialogue with South-East Asia, drawing valuable parallels with river-dependent nations like Lao PDR that face similar systemic pressures in balancing rapid urbanization with water-energy-climate dynamics.

This session marks the launch of the Water Atlas of Central Asia, a first-of-its-kind digital tool designed to monitor the macroregional water agenda and transform transboundary data into clear urban policy. By uniting national governments in the form of key national policymakers responsible for water management, as well as by welcoming comprative insights from water governance experts from Lao PDR, we assess the active threat of water scarcity and propose actionable methodology for transition to water-integrated urban design as a solution for resilient housing.