IFAS SUMMITS

The Council of the Heads of the IFAS Founding States on the Problems of the Aral Sea Basin is the supreme body of IFAS.

The Council of the Heads of State develops and recommends a policy to bring the production forces of the region in line with its natural resource potential, recommends for approval interstate legal and
regulatory acts, principles common to all states of the region for the management, use and protection of water resources, regulates interstate relations in the field of water management and
environmental activities.

Meetings of the Council of the Heads of State of the founders of IFAS (IFAS Summits) are held once during the chairmanship of each of the founding states of the Fund and within their framework decisions are made on the most important issues of the regional agenda in the field of water resources, environmental protection and improvement of th socio-economic situation in the Aral Sea basin. seas.

The IFAS summits also provide the countries of Central Asia with a unique platform for regular political dialogue at the highest level on water management and environmental issues and thus unite joint efforts
for further prosperity and sustainable development in the region.

During the period of its operation, the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (IFAS) has held 12 Summits of the Heads of the Founding States of IFAS.

On 22 April 2026, a meeting of the Council of the Heads of the Founding States of IFAS (IFAS Summit) was held in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, under the chairmanship of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan and President of IFAS.

The following documents were adopted:

• The Astana Statement of the Heads of the Founding States of IFAS;

• Decisions of the Heads of the Founding States of IFAS:

  • “On the Progress of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship in IFAS”;

  • “On Declaring 26 March the International Day of the Aral Sea, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers”;

  • “On the Election of the President of IFAS”.