BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 14. Central Asian
countries adopted a final summary outlining practical steps for
developing a UN program for the Aral Sea basin.


The summary was adopted following the Second Consultative
Meeting of Central Asian Countries on the UN Special Program for
the Aral Sea Basin (UN SPAS), held in Turkmenistan’s Avaza National
Tourist Zone on September 11-12, according to the press release
issued by Turkmen Foreign Ministry.


According to the report, the document sets out approaches to
determining the format, legal framework, functioning mechanisms and
financing of the UN SPAS.


The meeting brought together representatives of relevant
ministries and agencies from Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan, as well as regional and international
organizations. The participants exchanged views on further regional
cooperation in the Aral Sea basin and considered the priorities of
Central Asian countries for the development of the UN Special
Program, the report says.


The meeting was organized by the Turkmen Foreign Ministry, the
Ministry of Environmental Protection and the State Committee for
Water Resources, with the support of the UNDP/GEF project and in
cooperation with the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative.







For reference, the Aral Sea basin is a shared water and
environmental system covering all five Central Asian countries. Its
deterioration has created long-term environmental, water-management
and socio-economic challenges, making regional cooperation a key
element of efforts to address its consequences. The UN has
supported regional approaches to mitigating the impacts of the
crisis and strengthening cooperation on water resources.


The UN Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin is intended to
provide an additional framework for regional and international
cooperation. In 2023, UN ESCAP adopted a resolution on considering
the modalities for establishing the program, including a study on
its viability and possible mechanisms.


A UN ESCAP study published in 2025 examined possible formats for
the program, including cooperation between Central Asian countries
and the UN, coordination with the International Fund for Saving the
Aral Sea, and links with regional climate and disaster-resilience
initiatives.


The United Nations Special Programme for the Aral Sea Basin (UN
SPAS) is being developed as a framework for strengthening regional
and international cooperation to address water, environmental and
disaster-related challenges in the Aral Sea basin. The initiative
was advanced through UN ESCAP, which adopted a resolution in May
2023 on considering the modalities for establishing the
programme.