Participation of the Turkmen agricultural institute delegation in the final event of the Erasmus+ HWCA project on water diplomacy and climate resilience

The Turkmen Agricultural Institute has successfully completed a major stage of international academic cooperation under the prestigious European program. The project “Strengthening Higher Education in the Water Sector for Climate Resilience and Security in Central Asia” (HWCA), official registration number 101082976-HWCA-ERASMUS-EDU-2022-CBHE, regionally coordinated by the Kazy Dikambaev Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic, has reached its final stage. The main outcome of years of collaborative work was the project’s final event, which took place at the “Ton Azure” hotel on the shores of Lake Issyk-Kul in the Kyrgyz Republic.

Given the exceptional strategic importance of water resource management and climate security for the Central Asian region, the Ministry of Education of Turkmenistan supported the participation of representatives from domestic universities in this event. From Turkmenistan, the consortium partners – the Turkmen Agricultural Institute and the Magtymguly Turkmen State University – attended the meeting. The event also brought together partners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and leading European experts.

The organizers prepared an intensive program aimed at both a detailed audit of the project’s outcomes and the consolidation of long-term inter-academic networking.

    Key Highlights of the Program:
  • Implementation Reports & Evaluation: Special attention was given to project implementation reports and the final expert evaluation by the Advisory Board. The Diplomatic Academy of Kyrgyzstan presented a general progress report, while the Kazakh-German University (DKU) delivered a presentation on the Regional Research and Continuous Development Program.
  • Knowledge Sharing: Leading European partners – the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands), the University of Bergamo, and the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne – along with other Central Asian higher education institutions, shared their advanced expertise and best practices.
  • Capacity Building & Networking: The program featured presentations of new sustainable development projects and active networking sessions to establish business contacts. Specialized activities were held to enhance the professional capacity of water sector personnel.
  • Future Collaboration: Experts and participants jointly reviewed the outcomes, assessing the long-term impact of the project’s results on regional cooperation in water diplomacy across Central Asia. Delegates were also allocated time for individual and bilateral meetings to discuss future inter-university agreements, concluding the visit with a cultural excursion.

  • Conclusion Participation in the Erasmus+ HWCA project has enabled our institute to significantly modernize educational approaches in training water management specialists, integrate elements of climate diplomacy into training courses, and expand the research capacity of the faculty. The experience accumulated over the years of work and the established international connections have laid a solid foundation for the further integration of the Turkmen Agricultural Institute into the global scientific and educational space.

    Babageldi Kurbanov,
    Head of the Science Department