Kazakhstan has become the 30th country to join the Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, implementing its commitment to accede made at the UN 2023 Water Conference (New York, 22-24 March 2023). 

According to the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme, while more than 95 per cent of the population of Kazakhstan uses at least basic drinking water services and nearly 98 per cent has access to basic sanitation, only around 90 per cent benefits from safely managed drinking water services, and wastewater treatment coverage remains limited, with roughly one-third of domestic wastewater safely treated nationwide. Protocol accession is thus a key milestone as the country continues facing water, sanitation and health challenges driven by increasing pressure on limited water resources, aging and energy-intensive infrastructure, and uneven access between urban and rural communities. Increased water scarcity, the impacts of climate change—such as glacial retreat and more frequent droughts, and dependence on shared water resources pose long-term risks to country’s water and sanitation systems and services. Addressing these challenges is essential to advancing sustainable development, resilience, protection of the environment and population health and well-being across Kazakhstan. 

Minister of Health of Kazakhstan, Ms. Akmaral Alnazarova, stated “Kazakhstan’s accession to the Protocol on Water and Health is a landmark step in safeguarding the health and well-being of our citizens, while protecting our vital water resources. By joining this unique agreement, we commit to continue applying international best practices in ensuring clean drinking water, improving safety of sanitation systems, and preventing water-related diseases.”  

UNECE Executive Secretary, Ms. Tatiana Molcean, stated “I welcome Kazakhstan’s accession to the Protocol on Water and Health which will further strengthen the country’s efforts to provide access to safe drinking water and sanitation for everyone, increase resilience to climate change impacts, and promote sustainable water management. I encourage other Central Asian countries to join Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in acceding to the Protocol, and I call on all UNECE member States to harness the Protocol as a practical framework to jointly advance the water and sanitation agenda across our region”.  

As a Party to the Protocol, Kazakhstan will continue its already ongoing work to set integrated targets on water, sanitation, hygiene and health, supported by UNECE and WHO/Europe, and to regularly report on progress in achieving those targets – two main obligations under the Protocol. In 2026, Kazakhstan will also finalize an equitable access self-assessment covering four thematic dimensions: governance frameworks, geographical disparities, vulnerable and marginalized groups, and affordability concerns. This assessment, applied at regional level, based on the Equitable Access Score‑card 2.0,  is a step towards putting the commitment to uphold the human rights to water and sanitation into action and its findings could feed into the preparatory process for the upcoming UN 2026 Water Conference (UAE, 2-4 December 2026). 

The Protocol on Water and Health, adopted in 1999, is a multilateral environmental agreement under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe). It seeks to protect the environment, support increasing climate resilience, and safeguard human health and well-being by sustainably managing water resources and ensuring access to clean and safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for all. The Protocol provides a legal framework and a wealth of practical tools for countries of the pan-European region working collectively to address water and sanitation challenges, accelerate the achievement of SDGs 6, 3 and others, as well as the international commitments on climate change, and support implementation of the relevant EU Directives on water and sanitation.   

Kazakhstan deposited its instrument of accession on 5 January 2026. The Protocol will enter into force for Kazakhstan on 5 April 2026.  

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-geneva/press/news/details/1146066?lang=kk