This paper examines the role of donors in addressing a complex set of water related challengesin Central Asia and draws some lessons with a view to improving effi ciency and effectivenessof development assistance in the region. Since independence 20 years ago, the CentralAsian republics have been striving to maintain their relationships over water in the spirit ofcollaboration, despite the need to deal with a legacy of unsustainable economic developmentand environmental mis-management combined with new challenges of divergent nationaldevelopment agenda.In the fi rst years following independence, collaboration between the republics was stronglysupported by multilateral and bilateral development agencies under the leadership of the WorldBank. This effort was marked by some good results such as the establishment of InterstateFund of saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) and Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SICICWC) in Central Asia, preparation and signing interstate agreements in 1993 and 1994, aswell as development of a regional water strategy.
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