The Institute for Advanced International Studies invites you to join us for an illuminating discussion led by Dr. Barbara Janusz-Pawletta, International Water Management Institute Country Representative for Uzbekistan, whose distinguished career has seen her spearhead critical research and policy engagement across Central Asia. This edition of Frontier Talks explores one of the most urgent and complex environmental challenges in our region: the management of the Aral Sea basin.

Drawing on years of research and high-level engagement, Dr. Janusz-Pawletta will provide a comprehensive analysis of transboundary water governance in Central Asia. Her lecture will trace the historical dynamics that shaped basin management under Soviet central planning, the collapse of cooperative structures in the post-Soviet transition, and today’s renewed efforts toward multilateral institutional coordination.

Key issues addressed will include:

• Competing national interests between upstream hydropower and downstream agriculture;
• The institutional evolution of water cooperation frameworks;
• The geopolitical dimensions of environmental degradation;
• Strategies for sustainable water governance amid growing climate pressures.

This talk promises to be a vital contribution to current debates on regional cooperation, resource diplomacy, and environmental security. Students, scholars, and practitioners alike will find in it both critical insights and a call for renewed regional commitment.

We look forward to welcoming you to this important conversation at the intersection of policy, sustainability, and regional stability.

Date: Monday, April 28

Time: 11 AM

Venue: UWED building A, room A-114