Azerbaijan and Central Asia Team Up in ADB-Backed Drive for Climate-Resilient Water Management
Azerbaijan and a group of Central Asian states have joined a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) initiative designed to boost cross-border cooperation on water resources and strengthen climate-resilient water management across the region, signaling a coordinated response to mounting environmental and water security pressures.
The project brings together Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan under the water pillar of the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) framework, according to ADB information cited by The Caspian Post.
ADB has approved a $750,000 technical assistance package, financed through its Special Technical Assistance Fund. The support will focus on creating a regional cooperation platform linking participating countries with sector experts, policy solutions, and investment projects to promote coordinated and sustainable water resource development.
The bank said the initiative will strengthen institutional mechanisms for regional collaboration, modernize tools and procedures for climate-resilient water management, and develop a knowledge base to prepare and implement future priority projects tailored to climate challenges.
ADB also highlighted its long-standing partnership with Azerbaijan. Since joining the bank in 1999, the country has received around $5.6 billion in ADB investments — $4.4 billion in the public sector and $1.2 billion in the private sector — with major funding directed toward transport and energy. Under a new cooperation strategy, ADB is prepared to invest up to an additional $2.5 billion in Azerbaijan.
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Manila, ADB has 69 member countries, including 50 from the Asia-Pacific region.
