The Kazakh-German University (DKU), jointly with the National Academy of Sciences under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held the international conference “The Caspian Sea: Issues, Prospects and Opportunities for Sustainable Development.” The event was supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation and brought together scientists, experts, representatives of government bodies, international organizations and businesses from Kazakhstan and other countries.
Participants discussed key challenges facing the Caspian region, including declining sea levels, climate change, the state of water resources and biodiversity, as well as their impact on environmental security, infrastructure, energy and economic development.
Prof. Dr.Wolrad Rommel, President of the Kazakh-German University, emphasized the importance of bringing together international scientific expertise to address the challenges facing the Caspian region.
“To address the challenges of the Caspian Sea, we want to bring together international researchers and experts from different fields – not only from Kazakhstan and Germany. Drawing on the experience of European countries, we plan to establish a broad scientific network connecting researchers from the Caspian littoral states and Central Asian countries. This approach will enable the exchange of knowledge and experience, foster joint research and help develop solutions that take into account the specific characteristics of the region as a whole,” said Wolrad Rommel.
One of the central topics of the conference was the interdisciplinary “Land–Water–Energy–Biodiversity Nexus” approach, which views natural resources, energy, the economy and environmental sustainability as interconnected elements of a single system.
Developing the Nexus approach is one of DKU’s important areas of activity. As part of this cooperation, the Kazakh-German NEXUS Institute was established at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University (KazNARU) under the leadership of the National Academy of Sciences under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The institute was established with the participation of the German-Kazakh University and the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
The NEXUS Institute’s key areas of work will include training specialists and conducting research in water resources management and climate change, as well as advancing the digitalization of the water sector by drawing on German and European experience and mechanisms for the transboundary coordination of water resources in Central Asia. The conference also featured the work of the National Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan on the development of the DeepBas intelligent platform for the spatiotemporal analysis and management of water resources. In the future, similar digital solutions could be applied to challenges facing the Caspian region. The conference brought together representatives of DKU, the diplomatic corps and international foundations, as well as experts from Kazakhstan, Germany, Russia, China, Azerbaijan, Finland and other countries. The next stage will be a practical workshop, following which an analytical paper with recommendations for the conservation and restoration of the Caspian Sea ecosystem is planned.
The conference marked another step in developing DKU’s international partnerships and strengthening the university’s role in scientific and educational initiatives related to water security, climate resilience and sustainable development in Central Asia.
