The European Union (EU) funded project, Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia, has launched a series of training sessions on the application of the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus approach through an interactive Nexus Simulation for faculty staff at the leading universities and civil service academies in Central Asia.
The EU Delegation to Tajikistan says the second training took place on 3-4 March in Dushanbe.
During the last meeting of the Central Asian Network of Academic Societies (NAS) in October 2021, representatives of the leading universities in the region reportedly expressed great interest in integrating the WEF Nexus approach into the curricula for teaching future professionals in water, energy, agricultural and environmental sectors.
As a first step in this direction, 20 faculty staff from institutes for upgrading the qualifications of civil servants and universities that train WEF specialists in Tajikistan learnt about the Nexus approach in the format of an interactive simulation. It represents a facilitated process of playing five different scenarios on the management of water, energy and food resources between upstream and downstream countries.
Upon receiving the necessary training materials and participating in the practical simulation process itself, the faculty staff members were able to conduct a number of similar Nexus Simulation workshops for undergraduate and graduate students at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Tajikistan.
"The interactive immersion format is extremely convenient for mastering such a multi-component approach as WEF Nexus, which does not only require a good theoretical foundation, but also the development of negotiating skills, cross-sectoral thinking and strategic planning," noted Sulaimon Ismatov, Academy of Public Administration under the President of Tajikistan.
"The EU Strategy for Central Asia places great emphasis on the environmental, climate and water sustainability of the region, so the EU is promoting the WEF Nexus approach as a fundamental shift from a purely sectoral approach to integrated cross-sectoral solutions. The EU’s work on the WEF Nexus in partner countries should be understood in the context of the European Green Deal. The Green Deal is the EU’s new growth strategy which aims at transforming environmental challenges into new opportunities and create a modern, competitive economy with no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050," stated William Lindberg, Delegation of the European Union to Tajikistan.
Based on the outcomes of the two-day training sessions, the Nexus Simulation will become a practical supplement to the educational modules of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programs at the following educational institutions: Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Tajik National University, Tajik Technical University named after Mohammad Osimi and Tajik Agrarian University named Shirinsho Shotemur.
The EU-funded project, Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia, is implemented by the Regional Environmental Center for Central Asia (CAREC). The project’s duration: June 2020 – May 2023; total budget: EUR 1.25 million with the EU’s contribution of EUR 1 million.
