ASTANA — Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrived in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 3 to attend the One Water Summit, co-organized by Kazakhstan, France and the World Bank, in partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev arrives in Saudi Arabia to participate in One Water Summit. Photo credit: Akorda.kz
The summit, held in the margins of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD COP16), aims to address global water challenges, focusing on Sustainable Development Goal 6 – clean water and sanitation – and integrating water policies across various sectors.
With seven of the nation’s eight river basins shared with neighboring countries, Kazakhstan is uniquely positioned to advocate for international cooperation on water governance.
Kazakhstan’s co-chairmanship of the summit reflects its pivotal role in addressing water-related crises, including transboundary water management, shrinking glaciers and the ecological restoration of the Aral Sea.
As water demand is expected to increase by 50% by 2030, according to Barbara Pompili, the special envoy to the President of the French Republic for the One Water Summit, the event highlights the urgent need for partnerships across governments, businesses, and civil society to mitigate water scarcity, improve infrastructure and reduce the global water footprint.
