Central Asia Water & Energy Programme (CAWEP4)

Integrated, equitable resources management at the water-energy interface is crucial for sustainable prosperity across Central Asia. More than 90% of water resources in the Aral Sea basin are used for agriculture, whilst hydropower represents over 80% of the national production capacity in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The region is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, which is threatening water, food and energy security. Regional, coordinated and multisectoral approaches are necessary to tackle growing climate-related challenges.

The CAWEP4 goal is to promote regional cooperation for more resilient and better integrated water and energy management under a changing climate. This reflects an intention to (i) tackle high-level, ambitious regional goals on policy dialogue and development of regional institutions, (ii) leverage and coordinate approaches to deliver outcomes on joint water-energy management rather than separate water and energy work, and (iii) integrate climate change as an overarching theme, including both adaptation and mitigation responses in water-energy management. Swiss accompanying measures support the achievement of programme objectives through the mobilisation of relevant Swiss expertise in niche areas such as dam safety.

Key stakeholders understand the opportunities water-energy reforms could deliver

Trust across governments on regional water-energy cooperation increases and regional institutions support efficient water and energy management

New climate-smart water & energy investments are facilitated

Projects are designed to support climate resilience and critical emerging needs

Principaux résultats attendus:  

Building the evidence base: a flagship regional report on integrated water-energy management under climate change and an integrated model demonstrating economic impacts of different water-energy management scenarios

Strengthening regional institutions: more efficient and effective regional institutions

Convening regional policy dialogue: evidence-informed dialogue and draft regional water and/or energy governance frameworks and agreements

Facilitating investments: preparatory and feasibility studies for new climate-smart water and energy sector investments, as well as support to regional water and energy cooperation projects

Just-in-time support: analytics on climate change, resilience, and technical assistance for priority needs.

Principaux résultats antérieurs:  

Since 2009, CAWEP has facilitated 18 water, energy, and environmental investments worth ~US$2.6B, delivered solid analytics on water and energy security, and assisted sector reforms, regional dialogue, and institutional strengthening for key regional organizations (IFAS, CAREC, Coordinating Dispatch Center (CDC) Energia). The program also contributed to developing the Central Asia Flood and Early Warning System (CAFEWS), which will improve regional monitoring and forecasting of extreme weather events, enhance disaster preparedness, and allow to optimise the management of water resources.