A work meeting was held with representatives from Uzbekistan, Russia and South Caucasus in the city of Tashkent in April 8-9, 2010. The participants exchanged their expertise and discussed a possibility of creating a regional portal for exchange of information on water resources of South Caucasus based on experience of the Central Asia regional water-environmental portal and the regional information system on water and land resources in the Aral Sea basin – CAREWIB.

The following presentations were made during the meeting:
• Uzbekistan on the way of overcoming the Aral Sea crisis (Prof. V.A.Dukhovny, SIC ICWC)
• Central Asian water and environmental knowledge portal - CAWater-Info as a striking example of the regional cooperation (I. Beglov, SIC ICWC)
• The Russian-speaking Network of Water Organizations (I. Beglov, SIC ICWC)
• Demonstrating the IS CAREWIB capabilities (D. Sorokin, SIC ICWC)
• The analytical tools of CAREWIB (A. Sorokin, SIC ICWC)
• State of and needs for water-environmental information in Azerbaijan (A. Yusifova, Ministry of environment and natural resources, Azerbaijan Republic)
• Water resources management in Armenia (G. Zakaryan, Ministry of Environmental Conservation, Water Management Agency, Republic of Armenia)
• The information system of the Armenia’s State Water Cadastre (V. Tonoyan, Republic of Armenia)
• Review of water-environmental information and its exchange in Georgia (Z. Djincharadze, Zoi Environment Network, Tbilisi office, Georgia)
• Experience in water-related information integration and the information exchange in South Caucasus  (Z. Djincharadze, Zoi Environment Network, Tbilisi office, Georgia)
• The regional initiatives towards the sustainable development of REC-Caucasus  (M. Shukurova, REC-Caucasus, Georgia)
• State of and needs for water-environmental information in the Russian Federation (N. Rudnitskaya, FSUE «Russian water use and protection research institute»)

Having discussed the presentations and exchanged opinions, the participants have made finally the following  

DECISIONS:

1. Recognize an importance of the information and professional integration of water experts, users and interested parties in the EECCA countries.
2. Recognize the expertise of SIC ICWC in information exchange, IWRM implementation, regional and national information systems development under CAREWIB, etc.
3. Acknowledge a quite high degree of elaboration of information systems in South Caucasus countries, as well as financial instability and dependence on donors’ support.
4. Given the absence in South Caucasus of a basin water commission similar to ICWC and the difficult political situation, start developing the portal and IS on South Caucasus on the base of and with the involvement of non-governmental organizations.
5. Zoi takes an obligation to develop draft model of information exchange, design architecture of the portal and submit this to all interested parties.
6. The participants should submit to their respective ministries and departments proposals on the development of water and environmental information network in South Caucasus in order to identify potential members.
7. After discussion and agreement by all the parties, Zoi under support of UNECE shall prepare draft proposal for financing and submit it to donors.
8. The participants expressed their view regarding inclusion into the information exchange of all on-going relevant projects in this sub-region (Kura-Arax, phase 2, EC-financed, etc.), as well as planned ones (UNDP/GEF).
9. Make special mention of SIC’s efforts in developing the network of water organizations in EECCA countries (NWO EECCA). The participants support the idea to join the network and undertake to consider this question in their country organizations.
10. The participants express gratitude to UNECE and the Government of the Russian Federation for the support of this event and to SIC ICWC for organization.