Nexus Regional Dialogue Central Asia // EU supports integration of water-energy-food Nexus approach into educational curricula in Tajikistan
04 March 2022, Dushanbe – The European Union (EU) funded project "Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia" has launched a series of training sessions on the application of the water-energy-food (WEF) Nexus approach through an interactive Nexus Simulation for faculty staff at the leading universities and civil service academies in Central Asia. The second training took place on 3-4 March in Dushanbe.
During the last meeting of the Central Asian Network of Academic Societies (NAS) in October 2021, representatives of the leading universities in the region expressed great interest in integrating the WEF Nexus approach into the curricula for teaching future professionals in water, energy, agricultural and environmental sectors.
As a first step in this direction, 17 faculty staff from institutes for upgrading the qualifications of civil servants and universities that train WEF specialists in Tajikistan learnt about the Nexus approach in the format of an interactive simulation. It represents a facilitated process of playing five different scenarios on the management of water, energy and food resources between upstream and downstream countries. Upon receiving the necessary training materials and participating in the practical simulation process itself, the faculty staff members were able to conduct a number of similar Nexus Simulation workshops for undergraduate and graduate students at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.
"The interactive immersion format is extremely convenient for mastering such a multi-component approach as WEF Nexus, which does not only require a good theoretical foundation, but also the development of negotiating skills, cross-sectoral thinking and strategic planning," noted Mr Somon Ismatov, Vice-Rector for international relations, Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan.
"The EU Strategy for Central Asia places great emphasis on the environmental, climate and water sustainability of the region, so the EU is promoting the WEF Nexus approach as a fundamental shift from a purely sectoral approach to integrated cross-sectoral solutions. The EU’s work on the WEF Nexus in partner countries should be understood in the context of the European Green Deal. The Green Deal is the EU’s new growth strategy which aims at transforming environmental challenges into new opportunities and create a modern, competitive economy with no net emissions of greenhouse gases in 2050," stated William Lindberg, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Tajikistan.
Based on the outcomes of the two-day training sessions, the Nexus Simulation will become a practical supplement to the educational modules of the Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes at the following educational institutions: Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, Tajik National University and Tajik Technical University named after M.S.Osimi.
The EU-funded project "Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia" is implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC). The project’s duration: June 2020 – May 2023; total budget: EUR 1.25 million with the EU’s contribution of EUR 1 million.
The second phase (2020-2023) of the European Union project "Central Asian Dialogue to Promote Sectoral Financing through the Water-Energy-Food Nexus" is a continuation of the first phase (2016-2019) and is being implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC). The project’s duration: June 2020 – May 2023; total budget: EUR 1.25 million with the EU’s contribution of EUR 1 million. The project is a part of the global Nexus Dialogue Programme, which is supported by the European Union (EU) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in five regions.
This article was first published on the CAREC website on March 4, 2022.
Development
The game was developed by the Centre for Systems Solutions in collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
More Information about the Nexus Game
- Nexus Game Leaflet
- Learning // The Nexus Game
- Nexus Blog // The Nexus Serious Game: A hands-on exerience of the Nexus Regional Diaogues Programme
Related Articles
- Nexus Regional Dialogue Central Asia // EU supports integration of water-energy-food Nexus approach into educational curricula
- Nexus Regional Dialogue Central Asia // European Union contributes to improving operation of water resevoir in Central Asia
- Nexus Regional Dialogue Central Asia // European Union launches the project to support water, energy and food security in Tajikistan