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<Forum on the Caspian, Aral and Dead
Seas-Perspective Perspectives of the International Aral Sea Rehabilitation Fund A. Nurushev Mr. Chairman, Participants of the Forum. Let me express my sincere gratitude to the organizers of the International Forum, devoted to the protection of the Caspian, Aral and Dead Seas, for inviting me to participate in this Forum and for the honor to speak before the world scientific community deeply concerned about settling the ecological problems of our planet. The United Nations, through the UN University, draws its attention to the ecological crisis, caused by drying up of the Aral Sea, to the fates of 35 million people living in the riparian states of the Aral Sea basin. Understanding and support of our problems by the world community gives us hope that the water crisis on the wide Eurasian territory may be stopped by joint efforts, and the negative interference of the people may be prevented. The ecological crisis, caused by anthropogenic effect (economic activities of the people) has led to deterioration of the environment over vast territories. Effects of the ecological crisis are increasing. It leads to pollution of surface and ground waters, salination, water logging and destruction of fertile soils, loss of many flora and fauna representatives, and deterioration of people's health. The area of the Aral Sea, which is the fourth largest lake in the world, has been reduced to half its size since 1960. The volume of water is four times less now, the level of water is 16 metres lower, and the sea has lost its fish deposits. Now the bottom of the sea is bare on the territory of 35,000 km2; and the shore line moved back some 80 to 100 km. The Aral Sea's ecological system as well as the Amudarya and Syrdarya deltas have been destroyed. Poisonous salts in millions of tons are being raised by the winds and spread over the vast territories, resulting in a negative effect on the health of the people, animals and vegetation. Shortage of drinking water, medicine and food, especially in the rural areas is the cause of high levels of infectious and cancerous diseases. More than 80% of women and children suffer from anaemia. The quality of water in the lower stretches of the Amudarya and Syrdarya have deteriorated, and it is not always good for drinking. Lands in the deltas of these rivers are drying up and salinating rapidly resulting in the desertification of the soil. The ecological, economic and social consequences of the Aral crisis makes this, we think, one of the greatest disasters of the twentieth century. Overcoming this disaster will require great financial and material resources that cannot be provided by the states of Central Asia. As you know, these countries are experiencing financial problems caused by recession, reduction in productivity, unemployment, inflation and hyper inflation. Furthermore, the economic reforms are not moving forward. In recent years local and foreign experts published a lot of reports and articles, devoted to the Aral Sea crisis and the necessity to save the Aral Sea. I think the people understand, that the Aral disaster may cause trouble both to the riparian countries in the basin and to the whole planet. The opinion of the scientists is that the salts from the bottom are being spread over the vast territories. They fall out on the glaciers in the mountains and they are found on the ice of the Arctic Ocean. This may cause the rapid melting of glaciers, rise of water level in the world's oceans, floods, etc. Implementation of the idea of restoration of the Aral Sea may only be possible by means of establishing a powerful international organisation, which will express the interests of all the Aral Sea regions and the people of the whole planet and be responsible before the world community for carrying out the international and regional programs directed at saving the dying sea. As you know, on the 26th of March, 1993, the conference of the heads of Central Asian States (Republics of Kazakhstan, Tadzhikistan, Uzbekistan and Kirghizstan) was held. The conference resulted in the signing of an agreement on establishing the Aral Sea Rehabilitation Fund, stationed in Almaty, to join efforts for saving the Aral Sea, halting the irreversible deterioration of the environment, and stabilization of the ecological, economic and social processes in the Aral region. The Fund was established to accumulate financial resources of the founder states, international donors, the World Bank, United Nations (UNEP, UNDP) and other participants of the program. Its main objective is to define strategy and mechanism of channelling financial resources in to implementation of regional programs and projects, ecology restoration and socio-economic developments of the region. The main functions of the Fund are:
The working organ of IFAS is the Executive Board in Almaty. In Nukus (January 1994) the Program of concrete actions and the conception for settling the Aral problems were adopted. In accordance with the Program, and along with the World Bank, the projects preparation was started; and the Heads of States of Central Asia established the Executive Committee of the Interstate Council, which deals with the problems of the Aral Sea basin and is responsible for shaping the strategies and project preparation as well as implementation of the Aral Sea programs. Thus the joint actions directed to saving the Aral Sea were started. The reversal of the ecological crisis and the rehabilitation of the Aral Sea region depends on the activities of these two regional institutions. The first, who understood the situation in the crisis zone and proposed their support, were the World Bank and UN organizations - UNEP, UNDP, UNESCO and donor countries, which expressed their will to finance the program and the Project of the first phase of the Aral Sea Rehabilitation. The development of the IFAS, Executive Committee of the Interstate Council, involved in addressing the Aral Sea problems and its commissions became possible due to the missions of the World Bank and UNDP to the Aral Sea crisis zone. The World Bank defines its strategy of financial support through the Executive Committee of Interstate Council and the Executive Board of the Fund. The Executive Board of the Fund has been functioning for more than a year, and its work is based on the documents, adopted by Kzyl-Orda and Nukus conferences of the heads of founder-states and the Paris meeting of the donor-countries, which were devoted to the Aral Sea disaster. The Fund along with the Executive Committee of the Interstates Council, addressing the problems of the Aral Sea basin, prepared a list of priority projects and proposed them to the World Bank for consideration. The Bank made a decision to render its aid for implementation of 19 projects. The Fund carries out much work for establishing contacts with governmental, public and interstate organizations to attract maximum support from developed countries. To achieve this, the address of N. Nazarbaev, the president of the Fund, was sent to the heads of 32 foreign states and Russia, as well as to various international organizations, major firms and companies, and banks. The reaction was positive with organizations and firms from different countries expressing their readiness for cooperation. The Fund establishes direct contacts with governments and non-governmental organizations by means of setting up agencies. Thus, the government of Israel proposed its help and expressed its will to be a member of the Fund and allocated three complex ecological stations at the cost of US$3.5 million as a contribution to the authorized fund. It is also planned to open Fund agencies in the countries of the European Community. The Aral disaster touches upon the life interests of mankind, and in order to join the efforts of the World community and to establish collective ecological security, the board of the Fund promotes scientific researches, directed to settling the crisis. In September, 1994 the Board of the Fund supported a Japanese scientific field mission from Kyoto University, which fulfilled the biochemical study of the salinity level in the sea, lakes, in the delta of Syrdarya and the region of the Aral basin. In September, 1994 and at the beginning of the current year the joint mission of the World Bank and UNDP visited the Aral regions, estimated the progress in developing the plans of the Program technical preparation and suggested its recommendations. It was noted that since the Paris meeting in July, immense progress has been made. The donors provided their support for the preparatory phase of the Program projects. The program groups have been organized to fulfill the programs, as well as creative groups within many projects and sub-projects, where the participating countries and various experts were represented. Now the majority of projects are ready to utilize the donor assistance. The activity of the IFAS Executive Committee was estimated as positive, and it was noted that the Board has sufficient potential for future work. Financial resources have been provided for strengthening the material and technical basis of the Board. A number of constructive questions have been discussed during the meeting of the Fund Executive Board and the World Bank representatives. The Fund was characterized as the interstate organization for transfer of financial resources, accumulated at the expense of allocations from the member states, investments of donors and international agencies to fulfill the program of the Aral Sea Rehabilitation. Ladies and Gentleman, I think it is necessary to inform you that we have been unable to collect the initial contributions from the founder states in full. This is because of the economic hardships suffered by the countries of Central Asia during their transition to the market economy, imperfect legislative acts regulating relations between the founder states and determining the Fund status as international. Nevertheless the results of the Fund activity make it possible to state that for the first time in the former Soviet Union an interstate body has been established, which is capable of uniting the efforts of our countries and world community for providing practical assistance to the Aral Sea basin and its population. The meeting of heads of states and founders of the Fund, which was held in February and March in Almaty and Dashhavuz, and the adopted decisions on contributions and IFAS and EC organizational questions prove to be the guarantee of this. The recognition by international organizations and various countries of the Fund's power to settle problems, connected with the Aral crisis rehabilitation, their support and aid to the people living in the region, which is provided for protection and conservation of nature for the current and future generations, will assist in resolving the Aral disaster. One of the most important tasks of the Fund is to provide equal conditions for the founder states participation in its activities. In connection with this it is very important to create a climate of confidence, which is necessary for effective formation of the Fund's financial resources, received from all contributors. Therefore we intend to have representatives from all founder-states in the Fund headquarters in Almaty. We have already asked the Governments of the Republics of Kirghizstan and Uzbekistan to send experts to work in the Board apparatus. We are providing these experts with living accommodations and creating necessary conditions for their work. They may actively participate in shaping the Fund strategy, put forward their proposals, which may arise from the interests of their own countries. The enthropy law of Nober Winner says that "the human being ruins and then creates again", but, having destroyed the nature, we destroyed the basis of it - the life and the health of the people. Anthropogenic impact, which has been produced on the region throughout the seventy years of socialist history, turned to be a tragedy for the people in the Aral basin, which, due to their sincerity and love for labour do not deserve the fate of extinction of the most sacred thing - a healthy environment, suitable for living. So we hope to receive understanding and support from the scientists, participating in this Forum, governments of countries, heads of firms and companies in rendering assistance to carry out the noble mission of the Aral Sea Rehabilitation, and improvement of ecological situation in the basin. We are always ready to cooperate on the issues connected with these problems. Let me express my sincere gratitude to the people and the Government of Japan for their hospitality and understanding of our problems - only the people who themselves experienced all hard consequences of nuclear explosions and recent earthquakes can understand the significance of the ecological security for the planet. We hope that Japanese firms, now working in Kazakhstan, may render active help to our people. Thank you for your attention.
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