DUSHANBE, February 11, 2012, Asia-Plus — The European Union launched four new projects in the framework of the EU Regional Environment Program for Central Asia (EURECA), press reels issued by the European Union Delegation to Kazakhstan said.
The three-year program is reportedly aimed to enhance regional cooperation and partnership with Europe in the fields of integrated water resource management, forest and biodiversity governance, environmental monitoring and environmental awareness raising.
The projects in the EURECA program are as follows:
“Regional coordination and support for the EU – CA enhanced regional cooperation on Environment and Water (WECOOP)” project will act as a technical secretariat for the Environment and Water Cooperation Platform and will facilitate an enhanced regional cooperation both between the EU and Central Asia and within Central Asia. EU has pledged € 1,500,000 for the project, which is implemented by the consortium led by the UK Company Landell Mills in partnership with GITEC Consult GmbH (Germany) and BARS Consulting Ltd (Tajikistan).
“Targeted awareness raising for enhanced EU-CA partnership (AWARE)” regional project is aimed to increase awareness on the most problematic environmental issues in water management, environmental governance and climate change, such as water resources management, sustainable consumption of natural resources and production, and energy efficiency as a gateway for Public-Private Partnership. The Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC) is the grantee of this € 800 000 project.
“Supporting water management and strengthening trans-boundary river basin administrations in Central Asia.” EU contributed € 1,300,000 to the GIZ to support regional and national institutions to promote basin principles and related water sector reforms, strengthen existing water management organisations, establish new joint administrative bodies on Trans-boundary level as model cases for Central Asia, strengthen public participation in water management, initiate exchange of best practices between Eastern European and Central Asian water management organisations.
“Capacity building on river basin planning for water management organizations and joint river basin structures” project will contribute to improvement of human resource capacities for basin planning in accordance to the spirit of EU Water Framework Directive, provide support to the establishment and professionalization of national and inter-state administrative basin planning processes and build-in capacities for the introduction of economic and financial instruments related to river basin planning. This € 720,000 project is implemented by the GIZ.
