Countries in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia need to increase water-use efficiency in view of pressures on the subregion’s water resources, in particular from economic development and climate change. Opportunities and challenges to achieve this were at the centre of the debates of the conference on “Water conservation and effectiveness of water use” which gathered water-basin management organizations in Minsk on 20 and 21 May 2015.

Some interesting achievements in countries such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan were showcased, with simple measures taken decreasing water use by more than 10%. However, it was noted that overall progress has been limited and national water programmes are frequently weakly funded. The need to improve transboundary water cooperation was frequently stressed. In Kazakhstan, access to surface water has decreased by 15 per cent due to increased water use in neighbouring countries. In individual rivers such as the Ural river, shared by Russia and Kazakhstan, difficulties to supply basic water services are increasing. Another key conclusion was that the water-basin organization network should look into involving water users and water users’ associations in water policy discussions, a missing link in many countries.

This was the annual conference of a network with 80 participating water management organizations in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia, which provides a platform for exchange of information and experience and discussion of emerging issues, such as climate change and water needs for the environment. The network is supported by the Russian Federation and UNECE, and has its secretariat in the Scientific Information Centre of Interstate Commission for Water Coordination in Tashkent.