ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 22. The first round
of consultations on the establishment of an International Water
Organization will be held within the framework of the Regional
Ecological Summit, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
said during a plenary session in Astana, Trend reports via the press service of the
Kazakh president.
“Alongside our regional efforts, one of the key priorities is
global cooperation in the field of water resources,” Tokayev
said.
He recalled that in December last year in Ashgabat he proposed
creating an International Water Organization as a UN agency. He
noted that the initiative is particularly relevant as the United
Nations is currently reviewing thousands of mandates, creating an
opportunity to strengthen coherence and effectiveness in global
governance.
Tokayev also shared Kazakhstan’s experience in biodiversity
conservation, stressing that it remains a key direction of the
country’s environmental policy.
He said that sustained efforts have already produced tangible
results, including the restoration of the saiga population. He
added that the number of snow leopards in Kazakhstan has more than
doubled, reaching around 190 individuals. In cooperation with
international partners, Kazakhstan is also working on the
reintroduction and recovery of other rare species.
The large-scale restoration of forests, he added, remains one of
the priorities of Kazakhstan’s environmental agenda.
