On 26–28 August 2026, Mr. Askhat Orazbay, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea (EC IFAS), participated in the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (COP17), held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
During the conference, Mr. Orazbay held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Zeneemyadaryn Batbayar, Director of the Water Agency of Mongolia. He presented an overview of the activities of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, including the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination, the Interstate Commission on Sustainable Development of Central Asia, the Fourth Aral Sea Basin Programme (ASBP-4), and the Regional Environmental Programme for Sustainable Development in Central Asia until 2030.
Mr. Orazbay also participated in a side event entitled “From the Regional Ecological Summit to the 31st Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP31): A Proposal for Cooperation on Desertification, Drought Resilience and the Rio Conventions.” The event was organized by the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the active participation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
The participation of IFAS in the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification is particularly relevant given the scale and complexity of the environmental challenges facing the Aral Sea Basin. Following the desiccation of the once unique Aral Sea, a new desert, the Aralkum, has formed over an area of approximately 55,000 km² and has become a major source of environmental pollution. Each year, dust storms carry an estimated 100 million tonnes of toxic salts and fine particulate matter over thousands of kilometres.
Desertification has also contributed to a loss of biodiversity in the region, with approximately 200 species of plants and animals disappearing. These processes have further exacerbated the socio-economic and environmental situation across the region. The Aral Sea environmental disaster negatively affects the living conditions and quality of life of more than 80 million people, contributing to declining incomes, increased incidence of disease and mortality, and growing migration pressures.
