On February 18, 1992 five Ministers of Water Resources of Central Asian states (N. Kipshakbayev, M. Zulpuyev, A. Nurov, А. Ilamanov, R. Giniyatullin) signed in Almaty “Agreement on cooperation in joint management, use and protection of interstate sources of water resources”. Actually, this agreement founded a united body Interstate Coordination Water Commission (ICWC). This Agreement was confirmed by the Decision of the Presidents, Kzyl-Orda, March 26, 1993 and their “Agreement on joint actions on resolving the problems related to the Aral Sea and its coastal zone on environmental sanitation and social-economic development in the Aral Sea region”, and later by Agreement of the region's five countries of April 9, 1999 “On status of IFAS and its organizations”.

The 69th ICWC Central Asia meeting in Ashgabad (January 2017) made a decision to hold the celebration events in the course of 2017 on the occasion of the 25-year long activity of ICWC in the area of interstate water cooperation in Central Asia.

The following events are planned as part of celebration of the 25th Anniversary of ICWC:

• sessions or meetings of ICWC work groups in the Central Asia counties;
• Anniversary meeting of ICWC;
• Central Asian International Scientific-Practical Conference “The 25 years of Water Cooperation in Central Asia: Achievements, Lessons Learnt and Future Outlook”;
• Central Asian international exhibition “Water technologies” timed to the anniversary conference.

The key topics that guide the anniversary celebrations are:

1. Transboundary water cooperation as an important driver of food, energy, and environmental security in Central Asia
2. IWRM, water security and climate change
3. Water saving and water accounting
4. Water and ecosystems
5. Information, knowledge and capacity