The first Central Asia Regional Water and Sanitation Utilities Conference was held from 6-8 October in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Hosted by Uzsuvtaminot Joint Stock Company of Uzbekistan in partnership with the World Bank, K-Water and other development partners, the conference focused on "Harnessing Digital Solutions to Enhance the Efficiency, Quality and Sustainability of Water Supply and Sewerage Services".

Elisabeta Poci, IAWD's Association Development Manager and Executive Director of SHUKALB, the Water Supply and Sewerage Association of Albania, took part, as did IAWD Vice President Lyubomir Filipov and D-LeaP's Coordinator of the Utility Management Training Rado Russev.

This three-day event drew approximately 300 participants with a one-day plenary session, followed by one day of parallel sessions and a half-day closing session. The event also included network and collaborative sessions for water utilities associations, young water professionals, a country platform for private sector engagement and market outreach for large infrastructure projects.  

Field trips to Tashkent's water infrastructure and historical sites and an exhibition of water technologies and services by national, regional and international companies rounded off an exceptionally rich conference program.

The keynotes and panels treated the challenges faced by the Central Asia Region, and water professionals from the Danube region will find them somewhat familiar: In spite of significant advances during the last two decades, with now more than 90% access to both water supply and sewerage services reported, service deficiencies and lack of sustainability are widespread.

Outdated infrastructures, utilities struggling to effectively operate and maintain their assets, deteriorating service quality and customer satisfaction all make for a vicious cycle of substandard performance across the chain. The situation is exacerbated by worsening climate change impacts and increasing demand, leading to reduced water availability almost across the entire region.  

Most WSS utilities in the region are implementing investment programs and reforms to improve operational and financial performance, while expanding access to services in the unserved areas. Several successful initiatives have led to tangible results in terms of access and institutional efficiency.

The declared objective of the first Central Asia Regional Water and Sanitation Utilities Conference was to facilitate learning and knowledge exchange between WSS utilities to help the development of innovative institutional, infrastructural, and service-related solutions. Multiple strategic and technical sessions treated investment planning and implementation, operational efficiency, digital solutions, financial management, customer services and institutional models.

Ms. Poci spoke at the session dedicated to the establishment of a national water and sanitation association in Uzbekistan, contributing learnings and experiences from building SHUKALB, the Water Supply and Sewerage Association of Albania. Rado Russev took the stage in sessions on asset management and change management, and Mr. Filipov contributed to a discussion on strategies to strengthen utility creditworthiness.

We thank the organizers for setting up a great conference and look forward to future editions and a growing, fruitful international exchanges of ideas, solutions and experiences!