UN to enhance cooperation with International Fund for Saving Aral Sea

UNITED NATIONS -- The UN General Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution to enhance the cooperation between the United Nations and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

Proposed by 7 countries including Belarus, Canada and China, the resolution acknowledges that the negative humanitarian, environmental and socioeconomic consequences of the Aral Sea basin tragedy go well beyond the region and represent a global concern.

Noting the importance of strengthening cooperation and coordination between the United Nations system and the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, the resolution invites the UN Secretary-General to hold for that purpose regular consultations with the chair of the executive committee of the fund, making use of appropriate inter-agency forums and formats, including consultations between the Secretary-General and the heads of regional organizations.

The resolution further notes the proposal on the need to consider the possibility of developing a United Nations special program for the Aral Sea basin and in this regard to hold consultations in 2019 with the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea, member states and relevant UN agencies.

International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea was established in 1992 on the initiative of the heads of the Central Asian States for the purpose of improving the social and economic, ecological situation in the basin of the Aral Sea.