28 September 2012: Following its August 2012 accession to the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), Turkmenistan has committed to advancing the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM).

The commitment came on 27 September 2012, during the second meeting of the Steering Committee of the National Policy Dialogue (NPD) on IWRM, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Andrey Vasilyev, UNECE Deputy Executive Secretary, lauded Turkmenistan’s accession to the UNECE Watercourses Convention, noting it will strengthen “transboundary water cooperation in the region.” The NDP inter-ministerial expert group will propose changes to national water management legislation to promote IWRM principles and review river basin development in Turkmenistan. [UNECE Press Release]