DUSHANBE, December 19, 2013, Asia-Plus – Eurasian Development Bank has issued a monograph, Managing Water Resources in the CIS Member States.
Written by Vladimir Yasinsky, Nadezhda Prokhorova, Alexander Mironenkov and Tulegen Sarsembekov, the book analyzes water policies in the CIS nations.
The book notes that water resources, which had been deemed inexhaustible for a long time, have quickly become a category of resources, the shortage of which is becoming a serious obstacle to sustainable development in many regions of the world. The consumption of fresh water outpaces in terms of its scale and speed the use of any other resources on the globe and has a deep impact on natural processes and international relations in the basins of trans-boundary rivers. Access to water, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, determines the tone of interstate relationships and regional security.
The authors state that a comprehensive water management system is still being created in the CIS and the development of the respective legal framework needs to be closely connected to other areas of law governing environmental protection, economy and finance, construction, education, science, international relations and national security. The book analyses tendencies in the development of water management schemes and gives examples of large water management complexes formed in and outside the CIS.
The publication emphasizes that the process of water management has its peculiarities in each of the CIS countries; however, the historical humanitarian, economic and political ties between the countries in the region provide the basis for cooperation which can help find effective solutions to trans-boundary water problems in the new geopolitical context.
The deepening of interstate (including multilateral) cooperation will advance the sustainable use of water, the security of water facilities and hydro structures, and will help preserve the environmental potential of river basins. The authors believe that the joint solution of environmental and resource problems in the basins of trans-boundary rivers, the fulfillment of multilateral investment projects, the development of the research and engineering base and professional development should become important areas of work to enhance cooperation in the area of integration and factors that will contribute to the sustainable development of the CIS countries.
In addition, the monograph states that the advancement of the CIS economies and the growing demand for water, as well as the need to tackle environmental problems in the basins of trans-boundary rivers, add importance to this cooperation.
Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) is an international financial organization founded by Russia and Kazakhstan in 2006. The members of the Bank are Russia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Tajikistan and Belarus (2010). Other states or international organizations can become members by joining the Agreement Establishing the EDB. The Bank has authorized capital in exceeds US$1.5 billion, which was formed of contributions by its member states: Russia (US$1billion), Kazakhstan (US$500 million), Armenia (US$100,000), Tajikistan (US$500,000) and Belarus (US$15 million). The authorized capital may be increased by resolution of the Bank’s Council. The Bank has the status of an international organization, and is subject to international law.
