The International Office of Water (OIEau), in collaboration with experts from hydrosolutions GmbH (HSOL), the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC), and a water permitting specialist from Armenia, successfully completed a mission to Bishkek from November 3 to 7, 2025. The highlight was the signing of the framework agreement between the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Kyrgyz Republic on 4 November during a Steering Committee Meeting with senior officials from the Ministry ofWater Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry, and representatives from SDC. This ceremony established the legal foundation for the three-year project, which runs through July 2028, aiming to strengthen sustainable water resource management in Kyrgyzstan through improved planning, permitting systems, and data management.
The mission advanced three critical work streams through newly established technical working groups to develop implementation decrees for the Water Code covering planning, permitting, fees, and data management. CAREC presented the first two chapters of the pilot Chu River Basin Management Plan for validation. At the same time, HSOL presented its findings on water balancing on the Ala Archa and Alamedin subbasins, including for surface and groundwater. This is crucial input for developing a detailed quantitative water management plan.
Local stakeholders demonstrated a strong commitment to improving basin water governance and promoting participatory water management.
