The review workshop of the Network of Water Organizations from Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (NWO EECCA) was held in Moscow on the 31st of May, 2010 under support of the Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering.

The participants appreciate support of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the Government of the Russian Federation for this event and thank SIC ICWC and the Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering for organization of the event

50 representatives of research, design, manufacturing and information institutions from Russia, Ukraine, Byelorussia, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan took part in the workshop.

The participants were welcomed by:

• Deputy Director of the Federal Water Resources Agency (Russian Federation) Sergey Natal’tchuk
• Rector of the Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering Prof. Dmitry Kozlov
• President of JSC “Vodstroy” Polad Polad-zadeh
• Head of Land Reclamation Department at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation A.Petrov

Presentations were made by:

• Prof. V.Dykhovny (SIC ICWC, Uzbekistan) – Current water sector trends in EECCA countries
• Prof. P.Kovalenko (UkrNIIGiM, Ukraine) – Sustainable operation of irrigation and drainage systems under socio-economic transformation in East Europe countries
• V.Sokolov (GWP CACENA, Uzbekistan) – International Network of Basin Organizations and our participation in this Network
• I.Beglov (SIC ICWC, Uzbekistan) – Status of information exchange and the development of NWO EECCA
• Prof. M.Kalinin (International State Ecological University, Byelorussia) – The Byelorussian contribution to international cooperation on water resources improvement
• S.Trophantchuk (Seversk-Donets Basin Department, Ukraine) – Experience of integrated water resources management and development of water network and data exchange on water resources in the Seversk Donets river basin
• S.Tanatbayeva (Water Resources Committee, Kazakhstan) – Development of water sector in the Republic of Kazakhstan
• N.Mamataliev (Kyrgyz branch of SIC ICWC, Kyrgyzstan) - Development of water sector in the Kyrgyz Republic
• Prof. T.Karlykhanov (Executive Committee of IFAS, Kazakhstan) – Review of a network of water organizations in Central Asia
• G.Stulina (SIC ICWC, Uzbekistan) – Gender and water
• Kh.Mukhitdinov (ICWC Secretariat, Tajikistan) – Institutional development for the integrated water resources management in Tajikistan
• A.Mamedov (Institute “Sukanal”, Azerbaijan) – Challenges and prospects of water management in Azerbaijan
• Prof. M.Korobochkin (State University of Land Management, Russia) – Automated system for optimal design of vertical leveling
• I.Trombitskiy (Eco-Tiras, Moldova)
• N.Prokhorova (RosNIIVH, Russia)
• Ye.Finoshina (Meliovodinform, Russia)

Water sector and land reclamation in EECCA region go through a period of unstable development causing various difficulties and sometimes unexpected unfortunate results. This is typical for both the countries of the former Soviet Union and the East Europe countries that previously have been considered as a bastion of market economy development (Poland, Hungary, Romania), with enough high economic potential and per capita national income. These countries turned out to be unprepared to the current period like all the NIS countries, including such former leaders as Russian, Ukraine and others. 

The following common tendencies are notable:

• More than twofold drop of unit GNP – from 3088 $/capita in 1985 down to 1086 $/capita in 2008 (World Bank’s data);
• Dramatic reduction of state subsidies for water sector and land reclamation;
• Loss of integrity by water sector as an independent economic sector (excluding some countries) and continuing changes: water sector incorporated into agriculture or environmental management;
• Transfer of water management at lower water-use levels to water users themselves;
• Growth of water “localism”;
• Loss of general water productivity;
• Dramatic reduction of annual operational costs from 60 $/ha (the 1990-es) to 8-10 $/ha (present) in irrigated land;
• Abrupt decrease in irrigated areas;
• No accounting and reporting on water use.

What can we oppose against those tendencies?

• Demonstration of water professionalism and the sainthood of water, return to old traditions;
• Water and ethics;
• Water and education;
• Forecasts of the future and their interpretation;
• Propaganda of best practices;
• Exchange of information;
• All-round implementation of IWRM.

The development of NWO EECCA will be oriented exactly towards the above listed directions.

The participants, having discussed the reports and exchanged their opinions, have made the following decision:

• Recognize an importance of information-based and professional integration of water professionals, land reclamation experts, water users and other stakeholders in EECCA countries.
• Deem it expedient to support a proposal of the International Network of Basin Organizations regarding the establishment of a regional sub-network and establish NWO EECCA within this Network.
• Take the goals, objectives and methods of the International Network of Basin Organizations as a basis – i.e. promoting the adoption of the integrated water resources management at a river basin level as the main tool of sustainable development – and complement them by specific goals and objectives of NWO EECCA, such as creating conditions for comprehensive and environmentally friendly rational use of water and reclaimed land.
• Make special mention of SIC’s efforts in developing the Network of Water Organizations in EECCA countries (NWO EECCA).
• The participants appreciate support of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and the Government of the Russian Federation for this event and thank SIC ICWC and the Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering for organization of the event.

After the workshop, the Constitutive Convention of the Network of Water Organizations from Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia was gathered.

Participants of the Convention meeting considered the following agenda:

• Approval of the Charter of NWO EECCA
• Election of the Network’s President
• Election of the Board of Directors
• Review and approval of the Statute of Secretariat – the Network’s executive body
• Assigning of the Executive Secretary of the Network – the head of the Secretariat.

P.A.Polad-zadeh was elected unanimously the President of the Network, while Prof. V.A.Dukhovny – the Executive Secretary of the Network.

The following members were elected to the Network’s Board of Directors:

• Prof. Dmitry Kozlov, Moscow State University of Environmental Engineering, Rector, Russian Federation
• Sergey Bednaruk, Center for Russian Waterworks Inventory and State Water Cadastre, Director, Russian Federation
• Sergey Natal’tchuk, Federal Water Resources Agency, Deputy Director, Russian Federation
• Prof. Petro Kovalenko, Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation of Ukrainian Academy of agrarian sciences, Director, ICID Vice-President, Ukraine
• Sergey Trophantchuk, Seversk-Donets Basin Department, Chief Engineer, Ukraine
• Prof. Victor Dukhovny, SIC ICWC, Director, Governor of the World Water Council’s Board of Governors, Uzbekistan – Executive Secretary, Director of the Network’s Secretariat
• Makhmud Khamidov, Basin Water Organization “Syrdarya”, Uzbekistan
• Prof. Mikhail Kalinin, International State University of Ecology named by A.D.Sakharov, Byelorussia
• Akhmed Mammadov, Research and Design Institute “Sukanal”, Deputy Director, Azerbaijan
• Khairullo Mukhitdinov, ICWC Secretariat, Director, Tajikistan
• Nurgazy Mamataliev, IWRM-Fergana Regional Project, National Coordinator for Kyrgyzstan
• Ilya Trombitzkiy, International Environmental Association for Saving the Dniester River “ECO-TIRAS”, Executive Director, Moldova
• Prof. Torekhan Karlikhanov, Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, Director of Information-Analytical Center, Kazakhstan
• Nadezhda Prokhorova, Russian Research Institute of Multipurpose Use and Protection of Water Resources, Director, Russian Federation
• Nikolay Tupikin, Scientific and Technological Information Center “Meliovodinform”, Director, Russian Federation