Inhaltspezifische Aktionen

08.-10.10.2025 - Water Security and Climate Change Conference 2025 in Tashkent

Tashkent, Uzbekistan — The ninth Water Security and Climate Change Conference (WSCC25) held from the 8th to the 10th October 2025 at the National Research University "Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanization Engineers institure" (TIIAME NRU), brought together more than 150 researchers, practitioners and policymakers from 28 countries to exchange research, policy lessons and practical tools for managing water under accelerating climate stress.

Organised by the SDGnexus Network in partnership with TIIAME NRU and supported by the exceed programme (Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation), WSCC25 focused on the urgent challenge of climate‑related water extremes and their impacts on food systems, ecosystems and societies.

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

Programme highlights

  • 150+ delegates from academia, government, NGOs, international organisations and the private sector.
  • Capacity building in action: mentoring sessions and dedicated tracks for early career researchers and students strengthened regional research networks.
  • Knowledge exchange that moves: plenaries, technical panels, poster sessions and practitioner roundtables brought scientific advances (including AI and big data applications) directly into real-world policy and on the ground practices.

Conference Topics:

The Water Security and Climate Change Conference embodied the focus of our annual event, structured around three main themes:

  • Coping with Climate-Related Extremes
  • Water for Food Environment & Systems
  • Data-Driven Solutions: Leveraging AI and Big Data

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

Keynote Sessions:

To deliver the most critical issues as well as inspiring our audience, we held three keynote sessions:

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

  • Caroline Milow: Rivers of Resilience: Transboundary Water Management for Food, Climate, and Security in Central Asia

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

  • Shukhrat Shokirov: Space-Based Monitoring for Sustainable and Data-Driven Crop Production

 

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

  • Dr. Suzanne Jacobs: Water, science and society on the southern slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro

Science Session: 

Over 80 researchers contributed to the conference program through science sessions, sharing their work via oral and poster presentations. The sessions addressed a variety of subjects, including:

  • Sustainable Water Management for Agriculture and Ecosystems
  • Open-Source Models and Advanced Data Analytics
  • Innovations in Water Use and Recycling for Food Systems
  • Forecasting climate-related water extremes
  • Vulnerability and impact assessments
  • Society and Water Use

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

Success & Challenges:

To generate innovative solutions and ideas, the conference brought together experts from different fields and encouraged open discussions between them. Our goals were to:

  • Foster debate on relevant topics
  • Share ideas and perspectives across disciplines
  • Assess risks and potential consequences in each area

For this, we created Panel Discussions:

Image: ©  Ibragim Ismailov

The conference agenda included three high-level expert panels that provided a forum for constructive dialogue on key global challenges. Engaging experts from research, policy, and practice, the discussions aimed to bridge knowledge domains and promote coordinated efforts toward water security and climate challenges solutions.

The discussions focused on the following themes:

  • Connecting Science, Policy, and Practice for Improved Water Security
  • Dissemination and Upscaling of Innovative Practices to Address the Water, Food & Energy Nexus
  • Bridging Silos with Data: Fostering Transdisciplinary Collaboration for Water Security and Sustainability

About Water Security and Climate Change Conference

The WSCC Conference strives to go beyond science and technology. It builds bridges between different disciplines and groups of stakeholders and practitioners. This annual conference aims to provide a platform for discussion on water and land use, by creating an environment that produces ideas and clear solutions towards their implementation.

  • Next Steps: Participants of the conference emphasized the necessity to stronger, even more, the collaboration, innovation and investment to tackle water security and climate challenges. Key recommendations included:
    • Scaling up predictive systems and AI‑based tools for better forecasting and decision-making.
    • Investing in wastewater management and pollution control, as well as and reducing contamination risks during extreme events.
    • Promotion of precision agriculture and nature‑based solutions to balance food security with ecosystem protection.
    • Strengthening transboundary cooperation, capacity building and inclusive governance to ensure equitable resilience.

Learn more about WSCC25 and access to the previous conferences: Water Security – Water Security & Climate Change Conference

The SDGnexus Network and the WSCC2025 are funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) from funds of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation (BMZ) - (grant number 57753302), the program “exceed - Hochschulexzellenz in der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit”

For media inquiries or further information, please contact sdgnexus@zeu.uni-giessen.de