Kazakhstan and Hungary to train water diplomacy experts

As part of the implementation of the President of Kazakhstan’s Address to the Nation, particularly the initiative to train qualified specialists in the field of water diplomacy, the Kazakh National University of Water Resources and Irrigation, in partnership with Corvinus University of Hungary, has developed and launched a dual-degree master’s program in water resources management with a focus on water diplomacy.

Besides, this August the EU allocated the Erasmus Mundus Design Measure grant worth 60,000 euros to the consortium of three European and four Central Asian universities, including the Kazakh National University of Water Resources and Irrigation, for the development of the integrated joint master’s program for water resources management and water diplomacy.

The experts of the consortium will convene for the first meeting in Budapest at the close of October.

Within 15 months, the universities are expected to submit a fully developed project proposal to the European Commission. If approved, the joint implementation of the master’s program will begin, with a budget of 5 million euros for six years.

At the first expert meeting of the consortium, it will be suggested to establish a joint center for water resources management and water diplomacy, with its headquarters at the Kazakh National University of Water Resources and Irrigation in the city of Taraz.

Notably, Cardiff University opens its branch campus in Astana.