Water policy reforms in Kazakhstan

• Sustainable business models for Water Supply and Sanitation (WSS) in rural areas and small towns.
• Accession to the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health and setting of national targets.
• Increasing contribution of multi-purpose water infrastructure (MPWI) to economic development, water, food and energy security.
• State support to agriculture, rural development and water-intensive industries affecting the water sector.
• Strengthening bilateral cooperation with neighbouring countries on the use of transboundary watercourses.

Following the request by Kazakhstan in 2010 to initiate an national policy dialogue on water, and preparatory work conducted in 2012, the NPD process started in the country in 2013. Several achievements through NPD process can be cited:

• State programme for Water Management to 2040 was commented by OECD and UNECE.
  
• The OECD-Kazakhstan cooperation programme was signed in 2015.
• Kazakh-Russian bilateral committee on transboundary waters decided to launch a joint assessment on Ural river and Kigac tributary of Volga river.