The Water–Energy–Food (WEF) Nexus approach emerged as a viable course of action to mitigate the strain on water resources caused by climate change, population growth, economic development, and urbanization.
The Nexus approach is a coordinated and integrated pathway for making management decisions at the intersection of water, energy, and food resources. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that underpin the Nexus approach include Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), and Zero Hunger (SDG 2). The overarching goal of achieving the SDGs and implementing the Nexus approach is to maximize poverty reduction and deliver economically and environmentally sustainable outcomes.
The goal of the session is to discuss current challenges and prospects for integrating the global water resources management architecture in the SCO member states, to improve coordination between institutions, and to strengthen the interconnection between the water agenda and climate, energy, and food strategies, as well as to draw attention to the importance of transboundary cooperation and the implementation of innovative solutions.
Цифры и факты
The Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action “Water for Sustainable Development, 2018–2028” was held in May 2026, chaired by Kohir Rasulzoda, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan. During the meeting, the agenda of the Fourth International High-Level Conference was reviewed, alongside the interconnection between the outcomes of the 2023 United Nations Water Conference and the 2026 Fourth International High-Level Conference. In this context, discussions focused on the relationship between the 2023 UN Water Conference and the Dushanbe Water Process, including ensuring the continuation of the 2023 UN Water Conference dialogues within the Dushanbe Water Process framework at the venue of the Fourth International High-Level Conference on the Decade for Action in Dushanbe. Specific proposals were also put forward for the adoption of effective measures as part of the international community’s efforts. It was further emphasised that joint coordination measures and the strengthening of cooperation in addressing water-related challenges are a demand of the times and must be implemented in a coordinated manner in the context of environmental change and the need to ensure access to drinking water.
In January 2026, the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) published the report "Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era". The published report “Global Water Bankruptcy” (2026) notes that pollution and deterioration of water quality limit access to safe water resources, and humanity has entered not just an era of water crisis, but a period of water bankruptcy. According to the report, around 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water, and 3.5 billion lack proper sanitation services. Approximately 4 billion people annually face acute water scarcity for at least one month, and about 75 per cent of the world's population lives in countries with unsafe or critically unsafe water conditions. The report emphasizes that over the past 50 years, 410 million hectares of natural wetlands have been lost — an area comparable in size to the European Union.
Since 1970, more than 30 per cent of glacier mass has disappeared in several regions. Mountain ranges at low and middle latitudes are expected to completely lose functional glaciers within a few decades, and many major rivers already fail to reach the sea during certain periods of the year. According to the report, 100 million hectares of agricultural land have been affected solely by salinization, and 170 million hectares of irrigated land – an area comparable to the territories of France, Spain, Germany, and Italy combined – are under high or extremely high water stress. In 2022–2023 alone, 1.8 billion people lived under drought conditions, with the annual economic damage from the loss of wetland ecosystems amounting to USD 5.1 trillion, and from droughts to USD 307 billion.
In 2026, Kazakhstan is initiating the creation of a new international structure under the auspices of the UN, which could change the approach to global water resources management.
According to UNESCO, around 40 per cent of the global population lives in transboundary river and lake basins, yet only a fifth of all countries have agreements on the equitable shared use of resources. According to data from the US think tank Pacific Institute, 419 incidents related to "water conflicts" were recorded in 2024, compared to 235 incidents in 2022. For decades, the Institute has been collecting evidence of water-related conflicts, where water has served as a trigger for violence, a weapon, or a target of destruction. The UN is sounding the alarm: by 2030, global demand for fresh water is projected to exceed supply by 40 per cent. The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health has officially stated that the world has entered the era of "water bankruptcy".
Discussion Issues
Improving water resources monitoring and data quality, transboundary water cooperation, and the application of "water diplomacy" tools to address cross-sectoral issues at the core of technical and diplomatic support
Water bankruptcy of the SCO countries: Inequality in the distribution of and access to water, energy, and food is exacerbated by the impacts of climate change
The problem of water pollution by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – forever chemicals
What strategies can help ensure the sustainable use of water resources to support the energy sector and food production in the SCO countries?
What is the role of technology in optimizing water use in energy and agriculture in the SCO countries?
Programme
Session Moderators' Welcoming Remarks
Anna Kurbatova (Russia)
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Safety and Product Quality Management, Institute of Ecology, RUDN University
Tatyana Bokova (Russia)
Deputy Head of the Federal Water Resources Agency
Topic of the report
Application of microalgae for bacterial disinfection and removal of micropollutants in wastewater with subsequent biomass conversion into biofuels
Vinod Kumar (India)
Professor, Graphic Era University
Pending approval
Dilshod Umarov (Tajikistan)
General Director of the State Institution "Tajik Scientific Research Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation", Associate Professor
Topic of the report
China’s waste-to-energy innovations: Collaborative pathways to address WEF Nexus challenges
Reda Kabaž (China),
Vice President for International Relations, Global Waste to Energy Research and Technology Council (WtERT); Researcher, Center for Geoengineering, Zhejiang University
Topic of the report
Application of GIS technologies for wetland monitoring under climate change
Gennady Sushko (Belarus)
Professor, Head of the Department of Ecology and Geography, Masherov Vitebsk State University
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Anatoly Shevchuk (Russia)
Professor of the Council for the Study of Productive Forces, Deputy Director for Science, All-Russian Research Institute for Integrated Water Management and Protection
Topic of the report
Pending approval
Matluba Rakhimova (Uzbekistan)
Leading Specialist, Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SIC ICWC)
Topic of the report
Detection of antibiotics in wastewater using a novel electrochemical biosensor based on molecularly imprinted polymers (MIP) modified with composite nanoparticles
Asim Tayyaba (Pakistan)
Professor, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST)
Topic of the report
WEF Nexus as a driver for ensuring national security
Elvira Dedova (Russia)
, Deputy Director for Science, Chief Researcher, Federal Scientific Center of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation named after A.N. Kostyakov, Professor of the RAS
Sofia Isaeva (Russia)
Head of Department, Chief Researcher, Federal Scientific Center of Hydraulic Engineering and Land Reclamation named after A.N. Kostyakov
