.

Assessment of the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus,the Syr Darya basinDr. Bo LibertRegional Adviser for the EnvironmentEnvironment Division, UNECE

Background•Among the Water Conventions obligations

regular regional assessments of transboundary waters: 2007 and 2011

•Findings:– Frictions between sectors about water use in

many basins– Policy integration and coherence remains

weak across the region; difficult to put into practice, painful trade offs. Improved governance needed!

•Demand in the countries for effective, practical solutions for alleviating negative impacts between sectors

•Little done about the nexus at transboundary level

Human develop-

ment

Climate change

Sectoral policies

Available techno-logies & possible actions

Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus

Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus in transboundary river basins

Country 1: policies and

actions

Country 2: policies and actions

Communication, collaboration and joint action!

Need to:

1. Develop understanding of inter-sector and inter-resources dynamics2. To make policies and actions more coherent across sectors and countries

Assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus in selected basins•Part of the Convention’s Work Programme

since 2013

•A representative set of basins to be assessed – in pan-Europe but also beyond; different nexus settings, climate, resource scarcity etc.

•Key partners: Finland (lead)/Finnish Environment Institute SYKE, FAO, Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm)

•Generic methodology developed & piloted on the Alazani/Ganykh; adapted to the different basins

•Sava, Syr Darya, Isonzo/Soča basins included in the programme

Aims at the basin level

Support transboundary cooperation by:• Identifying intersectoral synergies that could be

further explored and utilized;

•Determining policy measures and actions that could alleviate tensions or conflicts related to the multiple uses and needs on a common resources.

•Building capacity in the countries to assess and address intersectoral impacts.

The nexus assessment process

Nexus assessment in the Syr Darya Basin• Desk study

• Multisectoral workshop (Almaty, 2-4 December 2014) for the countries organized with GWP in cooperation with FAO

• Main intersectoral issues,

some future scenarios, possible

solutions jointly identified

• Scoping level analysis

• Participatory process:

Consultations

• Funded by Finnish Ministry

of Foreign Affairs

Two main sets of issues

National solutions for energy and

food security

Negative transbounda

ry, inter-sectoral effects

Reduced transbounda

ry cooperation

Water quantity: availability, seasonal needs of different sectors, environmental needs

Water quality: most sectors using water and land resources contribute to pollution and need clean water

Paths for addressing factors affecting water quantity

Possible solutions/synergic actions identified:

1. National development with co-benefits– Improving energy efficiency, reducing dependency on water for energy– Rationalizing water use (esp. in agriculture)

2. Broader sustainable development and national policy coherence– Reinforcing environmental legislation and integrating environmental

considerations into sectoral policies and management practices– Increasing policy coherence and coordination across sectors– Climate-proofing national development

3. Accelerate national development by furthering cooperation– Integrating environmental considerations into sectoral policies and management

practices– Increasing policy coherence and coordination across sectors/countries– Climate-proofing national development