The United Kingdom established an international fund to address climate change in Central Asia, announced British Ambassador Kathy Leach during the meeting with the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, Nurzhan Nurzhigitov, QazMonitor reports citing the Ministry’s press service.
The fund's objective is to provide support to all five states of the region in combating the adverse effects of climate change. Ambassador Leach expressed the UK's intention to engage with Kazakhstan, not only within the scope of regional cooperation, including collaboration with the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, but also through bilateral channels.
The Kazakh side outlined three areas of bilateral cooperation:
Collaboration with the United Kingdom on the newly established Caspian Sea Research Institute;
Sharing experiences and bringing in experts from the United Kingdom;
Providing postgraduate education opportunities for students in technical specialties and personnel involved in water diplomacy.
Ambassador Leach noted the British side's readiness to participate in graduate and postgraduate training under the Bolashak scholarship program, along with suggesting the potential launch of joint dual degree programs. Furthermore, the UK is ready to facilitate the invitation of world-class experts in hydrogeology, irrigation, glaciology, and other water research specialties to Kazakhstan.
The interlocutors also addressed the introduction of wastewater treatment technologies in Kazakhstan. Ambassador Leach conveyed the willingness of British companies to engage in this area, highlighting a successful project in Shymkent where water consumption was reduced by 25%.