Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan join ADB water resources project

Azerbaijan has joined a regional project led by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation in water resources and improving the climate resilience of their management.

The ADB said the project includes Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

The ADB-approved initiative is part of the water sector under the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) program.

The total cost of technical assistance is $750,000, funded through the ADB’s Special Fund for Technical Assistance.

The technical assistance will establish a regional cooperation platform that brings together participating countries, specialists, policy measures, and projects to ensure coordinated and sustainable water resource development.

The ADB noted that the project will support institutional mechanisms for regional collaboration, modernise procedures and tools for climate-resilient water management, and create a knowledge base for the preparation and implementation of future priority climate-resilient projects.

Azerbaijan has been a member of the ADB since 1999. During this period, the bank has invested around $5.6 billion in the country, including $4.4 billion in the public sector and $1.2 billion in the private sector. The largest areas of investment are transport ($1.5 billion) and energy ($1.7 billion).

Under its new partnership strategy, the ADB is ready to invest up to $2.5 billion in Azerbaijan.

The ADB was established in 1966 and is headquartered in Manila. The bank has 69 member countries, including 50 from the Asia-Pacific region.

By Khagan Isayev