Batken Region, 15 October 2026. How can communities agree on the distribution of water when there is not enough for everyone? How can disputes between neighbors be prevented and residents united around solutions to shared challenges? Journalists found answers to these questions during a UNDP press tour to three villages in Kadamjay District, where women are emerging as agents of change, helping to strengthen trust, foster cooperation, and prevent disputes.

In rural communities across the Ferghana Valley, shortages of irrigation water have often been a source of tension and disagreement. According to the project’s baseline survey, 77.4 percent of respondents had experienced conflicts related to water distribution. At the same time, women, who work the land every day and play a central role in their families’ well-being, have traditionally had limited opportunities to influence decisions on water management.

This situation is changing through the project “Women of the Ferghana Valley at the Forefront of Climate Resilience, Adaptation and Peace,” implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Ecological Movement “BIOM” with financial support from the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

Organized on the occasion of the International Day of Rural Women, the press tour gave journalists from local television channels the opportunity to see firsthand how women’s participation in decision-making and collective community action are helping address challenges that have caused tensions in local communities for years.

In Umai-Ene village, women worked together with the ayyl okmotu to identify 15 households that would receive drip irrigation systems. The main selection criteria were the level of need for water and the willingness of participants to share their knowledge with neighbors. The transparent selection process and joint decision-making helped ensure that the distribution of support was fair and clearly understood by community members.

In Kuduk village, 15 women farmers adopted drip irrigation technologies on 3.75 hectares of land. They learned how to conserve water, apply climate-smart agricultural practices, and participate in discussions on water allocation during periods of scarcity. As a result, women now have greater opportunities to influence decisions affecting the entire community.

In Maidan village, residents united to rehabilitate the “Bant-Suu” irrigation canal, where water losses in some sections had reached as high as 70 percent. One hundred households are participating in the cleaning and concrete lining of a 1.5-kilometer section of the canal. This collective effort is helping local people not only improve water access but also learn how to cooperate, share responsibility, and find solutions to common challenges.

Similar transformations are taking place across 20 pilot communities in Batken, Osh, and Jalal-Abad regions. An interregional network called “Tynchtyk Bulagy” now brings together 280 women leaders, including 39 women members of local councils.

The network’s participants facilitate dialogue between communities and local authorities, promote civic initiatives, and contribute to discussions on the management of natural resources.

Particular attention is being paid to conflict prevention. A total of 91 women leaders have received training in mediation and peaceful dispute resolution, gaining practical skills in negotiation and consensus-building.

These efforts are already producing tangible results. Through 20 local initiatives, more than 22 kilometers of irrigation infrastructure have been rehabilitated, 204 drip irrigation systems have been installed, and water supply has been improved for 1,078 hectares of agricultural land. The project has directly benefited 3,980 people.

The “Tynchtyk Bulagy” network is also strengthening direct engagement with government institutions so that the experiences, priorities, and recommendations of rural women can be reflected in policy and decision-making processes.

The experience of Batken demonstrates that peace and trust within communities are strengthened through collective action: when residents agree on the fair use of resources, when women participate in decision-making, and when local authorities support community-led initiatives.

This approach lies at the heart of the partnership between UNDP and the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund: creating conditions in which local communities are empowered to prevent disputes, find common solutions, and build a more resilient future together.