Towards the International Year of Water Cooperation, 2013.

• Author: Aslov, Sirodjiddin

Mankind is currently faced with several global challenges including poverty, hunger and climate change. Meanwhile, the fast pace of urbanization and population growth accelerates any global processes, impacting water resources. As a result, the issues of water scarcity and the deterioration of water quality are becoming increasingly urgent. In the modern world, water has become the key element for addressing food security, energy security and environmental sustainability. Given the above, the world cannot achieve today's global development goals without establishing global water governance.

Water governance is defined by the political, social, economic and administrative systems that are in place, and which directly or indirectly affect the use, development and management of water resources and the delivery of water service at different levels of society. Since the water sector is a part of broader social, political and economic developments, and is thus affected by decisions made outside of the water sector, the achievement of effective water governance demands a broad approach; this essentially means coordination with other forms of governance, as well as with formal and informal structures, procedures and processes.

All of the above underscore the need for cooperation and the establishment of a dialogue among all water users, especially those in the agriculture, industry, energy, navigation and water supply and sanitation fields. Potential transboundary issues and conflicting interests can best be addressed through cooperation, adequate legal and institutional framework, joint approaches to planning and sharing of benefits and related costs. First of all, it is necessary to increase official development assistance for the development and implementation of projects geared towards providing vulnerable and poor people with safe drinking water and water for daily needs. A reliable database, including meteorological, hydrological and socioeconomic data, plays a key role in the sustainable management of water resources.

The Republic of Tajikistan has initiated several United Nations General Assembly resolutions, including the International Year of Freshwater 2003 and the International Decade for Action "Water for Life" 2005-2015. In 2010, Tajikistan proposed a General Assembly resolution that would facilitate the coordination and collaboration in addressing emerging freshwater issues, and would unite efforts undertaken by governments...