Aral Sea UN Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan 

ObjectivesFund objectives

Fund scope

The drying up of the Aral Sea is one of the greatest man-made disasters. The fallout crosses national borders to affect millions living in the region and, ever evolving, the Aral Sea crisis has led to land degradation and desertification, a shortage of drinking water, malnutrition, deterioration of health and quality of life indicators for local populations. The epicentre of the crisis is in the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan.

The Multi-Partner Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea Region in Uzbekistan (MPHSTF) is a transformative, evidence, and human rights-based mechanism that focuses on multi-sector and people-centered responses. Fund stakeholders work closely together on coherent strategies that improve the flow and coordination of financial assistance, increase government ownership, and generate sustainable results.

Theory of change

A human security approach is used to analyze and plan interventions that are contextually relevant and centered on vulnerable communities. Using a multi-sectorial lens, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNODC, UNESCO, and FAO collaborate closely with the Government of Uzbekistan and local partners on programme activities comprised of holistic interventions that are people centered, comprehensive,context-specific, and prevention oriented. The theory of change is comprised of six clusters that serve as the foundation for Fund initiatives:

• Environmental insecurity associated with the deterioration land and water resources, toxic dust from dried seabeds, high levels of soil salinity, and poor and irregular water supplies.
• Economic insecurity characterized by limited formal employment possibilities and a lack of other income-generating opportunities. Low investment in infrastructure and private sector development negatively contribute to the situation.
• Food insecurity indicated by the poor availability of basic foodstuffs, deteriorating state of irrigated land and water resources, and lack of safe drinking water.
• Health insecurity characterized by malnutrition, environmental hazards (e.g. dust storms or insufficient supply of pharmaceuticals), a lack of qualified physicians, isolated populations, or poor awareness of health practices.
• Social insecurity marked by poor living conditions and lack of municipal services, which disproportionately affect women and children. Low quality of accessible schools and education facilities, plus high construction costs.
• Ineffective donor assistance and uncoordinated efforts causes duplication of efforts, while the insufficient prioritization of the Aral Sea region leads to limited contributions. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of an overall strategy and consolidated database of development interventions.    

By using a layered approach MPHSTF stakeholders can roll-out transformative, inclusive, evidence and human rights-based solutions. The first areas of focus include employment generation, natural resource management, improved social services in health and education, empowerment of women and girls, support to women in difficult conditions, and good governance through participatory planning and implementation.

GovernanceGovernance

Steering Committee

Responsible for leadership, strategic direction, and decision making on eligibility, allocations, and managerial oversight, the Steering Committee is co-chaired by a high-level government representative and the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan. The Committee also includes representatives from national ministries, United Nations organizations, NGOs, and contributing donors.

Technical Secretariat

Provides operational and administrative support to the MPHSTF Steering Committee in ensuring coherence, qualitative development of operational documents, monitoring of results achieved, and conformity of MPHSTF activities with government priorities.

Administrative Agent

Funds are routed by way of a pass-through mechanism. Participating Organizations receive funds through the Administrative Agent, the Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) Office. The Administrative Agent is responsible for the receipt, administration and management of contributions from donors, disbursement of funds to Participating Organizations, and consolidation and dissemination of progress reports to donors.

Projects

Aral Sea UN Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan

Aral Sea UN Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan is currently supporting count_projects ongoing projectscount_globalInterregional and count_countries country-specific. This table shows the most recently approved ongoing projects.

All project financial information can be found in the Financials section, including delivery analysis by organization, theme and project; project financial status by country and by theme.

Aral Sea UN Human Security Trust Fund for the Aral Sea in Uzbekistan

Results

Fund stakeholders use a human security approach to analyze and plan interventions that are contextually relevant and focused on vulnerable communities. Designed with a multi-sector lens, MPHSTF programmes are holistic, people-centered, comprehensive, context-specific, and prevention oriented. This layered approach enables the roll-out of transformative, inclusive, and evidence and human rights-based solutions.

In this section you will find the latest editions of reports that detail Fund performance and results. In most cases, results are presented according to SDG contributions, signature indicators, and outcomes.

ContactsPoints of contact

Policy and Programme Issues

UN Office of the Resident Coordinator
Roli Asthana, Resident Coordinator in Uzbekistan, Email: roli.asthana@un.org
Simon Hacker, Senior Development Coordination Officer, Strategic Planning and RCO Team Lead, Email: hackers@un.org
Rusyan Jill Mamiit, Development Coordination Officer for Partnerships and Development Finance (RCO MPTF Focal Point), Email: mamiit@un.org

Fund Administrative Agent Issues

Olga Aleshina, Senior Portfolio Manager, Email: olga.aleshina@undp.org
Dawit Ghebremichael, Portfolio Associate, Email: dawit.ghebremichael@undp.org
Myasanda Hlaing, Finance Associate, Email: myasanda.hlaing@undp.org