ASTANA: A senior official from Kazakhstan's foreign ministry has praised Saudi Arabia's achievements in the water sector, emphasizing that the Kingdom's technical expertise could support the success of Kazakhstan's proposed International Water Organization.
Praise for Saudi Water Technologies
Zulfiya Suleimenova, ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, lauded Saudi Arabia's water sector accomplishments during the Regional Ecological Summit in Astana, held from April 22 to 24. She told Arab News on the sidelines of the event: "The government of Saudi Arabia has done a great job in making sure that it utilizes the technologies and other opportunities in making water available to the population and to industries."
Suleimenova suggested that Saudi Arabia's examples could be replicated and shared through the Global Water Organization (GWO), a Saudi-founded international body that began operations in Riyadh in 2025. The GWO includes members such as Kuwait, Qatar, Spain, Senegal, Pakistan, Greece, and Mauritania.
Cooperation and Complementarity
"We believe that there is a lot of room for cooperation," Suleimenova said. "There are so many water challenges that I believe that it will not hurt us to have yet another branch who is working on — let's say — those who are dedicated their work on delivering on water mandate."
Suleimenova chaired roundtable consultations on establishing Kazakhstan's proposed International Water Organization, which would operate under the auspices of the United Nations. The discussions brought together representatives from 21 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE, who participated both in person and remotely. The initiative is a key part of preparations for the UN Water Conference in December 2026, long-term planning for 2028, and UN General Assembly discussions on system reform and the post-2030 development agenda.
Complementary Initiatives
When asked about potential collaboration between the Saudi-founded GWO and the Kazakhstan-led initiative, Suleimenova said: "These two initiatives fully complement one another. Kazakhstan's initiative is very specific in a sense that our idea is to consolidate the fragmented water mandate within the United Nations, bringing it under one umbrella." She added that the GWO is practice-oriented and technology-oriented, focusing on delivering promises on the ground. "In that sense, these two are very much complementing."
The ambassador-at-large emphasized that the two entities "definitely will be staying in touch and will be coordinating and speaking with our Saudi counterparts."
Background and Vision
The proposal for an International Water Organization within the UN framework was initiated in December 2025 following a call from Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during a forum in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. Suleimenova noted that the initiative is less than half a year old but has already garnered support from many countries. "We are very happy that we are finding the sympathizers and like-minded countries," she said.
Speaking on existing global water bodies, Suleimenova clarified that the Kazakhstan initiative aims to complement, not overshadow, organizations like the GWO, World Water Council, and the International Water Management Institute. "It is rather a complementary initiative. We really hope that we will be working very closely with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
Personal Experience and Expertise
Highlighting Saudi Arabia's expertise in managing arid conditions, Suleimenova recalled her 2023 visit to the Kingdom as Kazakhstan's minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, at the invitation of Saudi Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Abdulrahman bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhli. "Saudi Arabia is an interesting country," she said. "He really pushed me to think about the way we watch and see water resources."
Speakers at the forum included Yermek Kosherbayev, Kazakhstan's minister of foreign affairs; Li Junhua, UN under-secretary-general for economic and social affairs; and Retno Marsudi, the UN secretary-general's special envoy on water. Saudi officials present included Abdulaziz Al-Shaibani, deputy minister for water; Ibrahim Alhelali, strategic adviser for water diplomacy; and Nawaf Essam Bilasi, adviser, all from the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. Faisal Hanef Al-Kahtani, Saudi Arabia's ambassador to Kazakhstan, also attended.
