18.10.2022 - Strengthening collaboration with partners in Central Asia within the SDGnexus Network project
A SDGnexus Network delegation visited partners in Central Asia, including the University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, and the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanisation Engineers – National Research University in Uzbekistan, to boost post-pandemic network cooperation.
Giessen, 18 Oct 2022. In Astana, Kazakhstan, the SDGnexus Network delegation of Justus Liebig University in Giessen met with Nazarbayev University administration led by Dr. Chester Jablonski and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) office team at the Graduate School of Public Policy to discuss potential areas for cooperation. The meeting was followed by a workshop organized with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) Partnership and Liaison Office, where the SDGnexus Network delegation presented their research in water security and livestock management in Central Asia. Dr. Stefanos Xenarios (Vice Dean for Research) shared preliminary findings on the impact of climate change on migration in Kazakhstan, and Zhanyl Bozayeva (FAO Programme Officer/Team Leader) introduced the FAO projects portfolio in Kazakhstan. By the end of the meeting, the parties expressed interest and common ground for further cooperation, especially in the area of water management, land use, and food security. Read more information here.
“One of our core partners in Central Asia is the University of Central Asia (UCA), particularly the Institute of Public Policy and Administration (in Kyrgyzstan) and the Mountain Societies Research Institute (in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan)”, stressed Prof. Martin Petrick, Principal Investigator of SDGnexus Network, during the visit in Bishkek. Dr. Björn Weeser (Project Manager), Dr. Aliya Assubayeva (Research Associate), and Dr. Sarah Robinson (Research Associate) accompanied him. The SDGnexus Network delegation discussed the current stage of the project implementation at UCA and future areas for collaboration with UCA’s leadership led by Prof. Christopher Gerry. It also organized a workshop where the SDGnexus Network Team at UCA presented their research outputs. Dr. Aslam Qadamov (UCA postdoc) works with Prof. Roy Sidle (Principal Investigator at UCA) and other colleagues at the Mountain Societies Research Institute in Khorog (Tajikistan) on snowmelt, water availability, and food security. Dr. Gulnara Djunushalieva (UCA postdoc) works at the Institute for Public Policy and Administration (in Kyrgyzstan) on innovation in the agri-food sector. The delegation also visited the UCA Naryn campus at an altitude of 2020 meters, surrounded by the Tien Shan mountains range and the Naryn River, where about 180 undergraduate students study and live.
At the Tashkent Institute of Irrigation and Agricultural Mechanisation Engineers – National Research University (TIIAME-NRU), the university leadership led by Prof. Bahodir Mirzayev, expressed interest in further project implementation and possible joint Ph.D. programs and supervision with JLU faculty. TIIAME hosted the workshop “Cooperation towards Sustainable Agricultural Development”, where Dr. Sana Iliyas (TIIAME postdoc) and Jakhongirmirzo Mirzaqobulov (TIIAME Ph.D. student) presented their research under the supervision of Prof. Abdulkhakim Salokhiddinov (Principal Investigator at TIIAME) on the reuse of collector drainage water in fodder crops. Dr. Björn Weeser talked about citizen science in hydrology, Dr. Aliya Assubayeva presented on water security in Central Asia, and Dr. Sarah Robinson on trade-offs among SDGs in the Central Asian livestock sector. Prof. Martin Petrick and Dr. Nodir Djanibekov (Leibniz Institute of Agricultural Development in Transition Economies IAMO, Germany) shared information on the Structured doctoral program on Sustainable Agricultural Development in Central Asia - SUSADICA.
The SDGnexus Network project delegation also met with collaborating partners, including representatives of the German-Kazakh Agricultural Dialogue project in Astana, CAMP Alatoo Public Foundation in Bishkek, and the Tashkent office of Deutsche Gesellschaft für international Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), to discuss potential areas of cooperation.
About SDGnexus Network
The SDGnexus Network is a global community of universities, research centers, and stakeholders committed to promoting the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development. The SDGnexus Network is a part of the DAAD “Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation – exceed” program. As such, it aims to strengthen higher education to enable effective and innovative contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
About SUSADICA Project
SUSADICA (Structured doctoral program on Sustainable Agricultural Development in Central Asia) is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Uzbek Ministries of Higher Education and Innovative Development. It aims at conducting cutting-edge research at international standards on topics of regional and international relevance, strengthening graduate education in the field of agricultural development in Central Asia, and contributing to the academic environment in TIIAME.
Contact
Dr. Aliya.Assubayeva@zeu.uni-giessen.de
Center for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU), Justus Liebig University Giessen
Senckenbergstraße 3
D-35390 Gießen
+49 641 99 12714