Community of Practice

About Us

The process of ensuring water, energy, food and environmental security in Central Asia requires interaction of different groups of specialists and practitioners.

It is hard to overstate the role of educational and scientific institutions, including thematic universities and academies for civil servants, in this process. Each such institution possesses significant experience and research capacities that can be scaled up or replicated in neighboring countries. Educators and researchers are ready and willing to share their knowledge, learn from peers, join forces and launch joint initiatives and research efforts focusing on the security of concerned countries and the region at large.

Since 2012, with the support of development projects sponsored by the European Union, World Bank, US Agency for International Development (USAID) and other donors, the Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia, (CAREC) has been promoting facilitating regional collaborations within the Central Asian Network of Academic Societies (NAS) uniting universities and research centers. This regional mechanism aims to overcome “academic isolation” and integrate Central Asian academia and researchers in decision-making.

The Community of Practice (CoP) is currently operating within the framework of the USAID Central Asia's Regional Water and Vulnerable Environment Activity (WAVE) serving a communication and outreach platform, as well as bringing together representatives of educational and research institutions, government agencies, international organizations, youth and other stakeholders.

The CoP Online Platform offers various knowledge products, training modules, materials of projects/programs/lectures/round tables, as well as research findings and outputs focusing on the water-energy-food-ecosystem (WEFE) nexus.

The main principles and objectives of the CoP Online Platform:

• Foster experience exchange among practitioners and scientists;
• Render opportunities to demonstrate own and search for additional expertise;
• Share interesting content and ensure open access to information;
• Network and forge new partnerships and projects;
• Facilitate experience sharing between young professionals and mature practitioners;
• Organize and hold joint activities to optimize resources.

The main features of the Cop Online Platform:

• Online platform combining various knowledge products, analytical papers, research articles, and online courses;
• Expert profiles (contact info, articles, publications, courses, projects, areas of interest, expertise);
• Expert database (scientists and practitioners), project database, ability to ask questions, create surveys;
• Opportunities to search for mentors (in a specific country, region, or globally), volunteering opportunities, training modules, and lectures.