On April 6, 2026, Nagoya University Graduate School of Law hosted a multidisciplinary session on water resilience and climate challenges in Central Asia, bringing together experts from law, environmental science, and policy.

The event opened with a presentation by Dr. Aizhan Skakova, a member of the Public Chamber of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chair of the Kazakh Society for Nature Protection. She discussed the water–energy–food nexus in Kazakhstan and explained how these sectors are closely connected and why this creates legal and regulatory challenges. In particular, she highlighted water scarcity, reliance on transboundary rivers, and outdated infrastructure. She also addressed glacier retreat in Central Asia, stressing the need for stronger legal frameworks to ensure long-term water security. As part of her presentation, she screened the short documentary “Alatau – Following the Disappearing Glaciers.”

The second presentation by Maciej M. Sokołowski, Specially Appointed Associate Professor at Keio University, introduced his forthcoming book, “Navigating the Flood-Drought Nexus in Central Asia: Water Resilience in Kazakhstan.” He focused on the growing problem of floods followed by droughts and discussed how law can respond to these challenges. He proposed Flood-MAR (Managed Aquifer Recharge) as a practical solution and emphasized the importance of integrating such approaches into legal and regulatory systems.

The session concluded with remarks by Professor Janay Sagin, Professor of Geomatics Engineering at the School of Information Technology and Engineering (SITE), Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU), who discussed United Nations initiatives linking glaciers, water governance, and ocean sustainability, emphasizing the need for coordinated global responses.