United Nations                                                   E/ESCAP/RES/79/8

 

Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

Seventy-ninth session

Agenda item 4 (d)

 

Resolution adopted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific on 19 May 2023

79/8.     Consideration of the modalities for the establishment of the United Nations special programme for the Aral Sea basin

 

The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific,

 

Recalling General Assembly resolution 73/226 of 20 December 2018 on the midterm comprehensive review of the implementation of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, and recognizing that the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–20301 contributes to the achievement of the objectives of the International Decade for Action,

 

Acknowledging the interlinkages among the Sustainable Development Goals2 and that such interlinkages drive progress in the achievement of all the Goals and related targets,

 

Acknowledging also that the negative humanitarian, environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the Aral Sea basin tragedy go well beyond the region,

 

Taking note of General Assembly resolutions 72/273 of 12 April 2018, 73/297 of 28 May 2019 and 75/266 of 3 March 2021 on cooperation between the United Nations and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, as well as Assembly resolution 75/278 of 18 May 2021 on declaring the Aral Sea region a zone of ecological innovations and technologies,

 

Recalling with appreciation the joint communiqué adopted by the Heads of State of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan during a meeting of the Council of Heads of the Founding States of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, held in the Avaza national tourist area in Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan, on 24 August 2018,3 and recalling also the creation of the multi-partner human security trust fund for the Aral Sea region under the auspices of the United Nations,

1     General Assembly resolution 69/283, annex II.

2     See General Assembly resolution 70/1.

3     A/73/444, annex.

 

Taking note of the outcomes of the international consultations on the development of the United Nations special programme for the Aral Sea basin4 held in Ashgabat on 18 December 2019, with the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, and relevant stakeholders,

 

1. Invites its members and associate members, donor countries, multilateral financial institutions, relevant agencies and organizations of the United Nations system and other intergovernmental and regional organizations, as appropriate, to continue their efforts within their respective mandates to consider the modalities for the establishment of the United Nations special programme for the Aral Sea basin;
2. Recognizes the need to promote regional and international cooperation to study, mitigate and minimize the consequences of disasters in the water basin of the Aral Sea, in collaboration with relevant specialized international organizations;
3. Proposes that a study be carried out, in consultation with relevant regional and international specialized entities, as appropriate, on the necessity, viability and modalities of establishing the United Nations special programme for the Aral Sea basin;
4. Requests the Executive Secretary:

• To commission the above-mentioned study, as appropriate, in collaboration with relevant specialized entities, in accordance with their respective mandates and subject to the availability of resources, on the feasibility of and the modalities for strengthening regional cooperation with a view to mitigating and minimizing the consequences of disasters in the water basin of the Aral Sea, without duplicating efforts;
• To facilitate the organization of a workshop on preventing and mitigating natural disasters in the water basin of the Aral Sea with the relevant organizations that have the necessary technical expertise in the matter, as appropriate and subject to the availability of resources;
• To report to the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific at its eighty-first session on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution.

9th plenary meeting

19 May 2023