Central Asia, a region at the crossroad between Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Osh, Kokand, Ferghana and Khudjand are names that bring to mind the ancient Silk Road. This paper focuses on the Ferghana valley, still the centre of Central Asia and presently shared between three countries – Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan – emerged as sovereign states after the breakdown of the Soviet Union. From the different perspectives that one could use to look at the Ferghana valley, this paper takes linking the environment and security. After presenting the “Environment and Security” Initiative, a joint undertaking of three organisations: the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), we will deal with the theory used for looking at the links between security and environment. In the second chapter the paper will analyse the overall political and economical framework in Central Asia, pointing out the main trends affecting the situation in the Ferghana valley. The third chapter will be dedicated to the analysis of the regional situation and to the discussion of the different clusters that compose the environment and security dimension in the Ferghana valley. The present document will be used as an input to stimulate the discussion for activities in the Ferghana – Osh – Khudjand area during the next phase of the “Environment and Security” initiative in Central Asia. In this sense, it would be extremely interesting for the organisations at the origin of this paper to receive feedback and reaction from its readers.
Topics: IWRM, Transboundary Water Management, Water Management,
Keywords:
Environment, IWRM, Transboundary water issues, Water Management,