Community of Practice

Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic – On May 30, another Nexus game event was held at the Department of Water Resources and Engineering Disciplines of the Kyrgyz-Russian Slavic University named after B.N. Yeltsin. This time, the fourth-year students transferred their skills to the second and third-year students of the direction “Integrated use and protection of water resources”.

The event was held on the theme "Reaching agreements in the field of distribution and use of water resources between countries". Students have mastered the skills of water resources management in the context of climate change.

Divided into two teams, the students assumed the roles of ministers of the countries located upstream and downstream. They learned how to manage water, energy, and food resources, while meeting the needs of the population and making coordinated decisions with a neighboring country. During the game, an understanding of the interdependence of the water, energy and food sectors was reached, and fruitful negotiations were held.

 

"This game has become a good example of the interdependence of sectors for our students. Now we plan to play it with students of the Departments of Construction, Ecology, Emergency Protection and Architecture," said Galina Frolova, Head of the Department of Water Resources and Engineering at the KRSU named after B.N. Yeltsin.

 

Brief reference

The Nexus Simulation 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. The history of its implementation in the Central Asian region began in 2018 within the framework of the European Union (EU) project «Nexus Dialogue in Central Asia» implemented by the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC). The game represents a facilitated process of playing 5 different scenarios for developing the territories upstream and downstream while addressing water needs of population, industry and agriculture and taking into account climate change challenges. Currently, the Nexus Game is actively promoted by CAREC in universities, academies, basin organizations and media in Central Asia with funding from the EU and the US for International Development (USAID).