Some people may not have heard of Karakalpakstan; perhaps because it is not a country but a republic within Uzbekistan. You may not be able to find its name on a world atlas. Karakalpakstan literally means “the land of the black hat” as the indigenous people used to wear black hats. The Republic of Karakalpakstan is located in western Uzbekistan and has an area of 166,600 km². Although it occupies approximately one-third of the country’s land mass, it is home to 1,889,800 people, just 2.17 per cent of the total population of Uzbekistan. In 2020, the area of land allocated for agriculture was 2,640 km² where the local people cultivate a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, apples, melons and peaches. I often visit the main bazaar in the capital city of Nukus, which is filled with a myriad of seasonal products, and rich smells and flavours welcome and satisfy my heart and stomach.

The geographical features of Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) make it one of the most difficult regions to access water. First, it is one of the only two double-landlocked countries in the world (the other one is Liechtenstein), and second it is largely composed of desert. Karakalpakstan shares the Aral Sea with the neighbouring country Kazakhstan. It was the fourth-largest inland lake in the world before 90% of its water dried up, due to climate change and inappropriate irrigation management. The poor irrigation system wasted tons of water meant for cotton fields. Unfortunately, it is easy to find dried-up, empty drains here.

In this region, the temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius in summer and -20 in winter. Over the last 6 months, I have lived through the highest and lowest temperatures I have ever experienced in my life. The main water resources of the Aral Sea are two rivers (the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers). I remember that the last time when we had rain here I was forced to stay at home, so I went out to enjoy the precious raindrops.

Water shortages had a negative impact on local health. It has been reported that the poverty rate of Karakalpakstan was 14.6 per cent in 2020, which had decreased drastically since the 2004 rate of 44.7 per cent. Malnutrition and high poverty levels have resulted in high rates of disease in the region. There are consequences not only for residents’ health but also for the local economy. Those who lost their jobs in agriculture or fishery tend to leave the region and migrate to neighbouring countries, such as Kazakhstan and Russia. The families left behind are dependent on the remittance from their labour migrant relatives. Therefore, their income is highly insecure, susceptible to fluctuations and unstable in the long term. One young male resident of Nukus told me, “I am going to leave Karakalpakstan because I love my family”, with a sorrowful countenance. Working-age people often leave their hometown to find a better job and support their families financially and remotely.

As a UN volunteer I have been working with the UNDP and UNFPA joint program “Building the Resilience of Local Communities Against Health, Environmental and Economic Insecurities in the Aral Sea Region”. The programme is funded by the Government of Japan and focuses on improving the quality of healthcare services and enhancing income generation opportunities for the target communities. The environmental disaster in the Aral Sea has caused multi insecurities; limited access to clean drinking water; food insecurity and malnutrition as a result of desertification; lack of job opportunities due to the decline of the fishing and farming industry caused by poor conditions of water and soil. It requires holistic interventions to adapt and improve their environment, strengthening resilience with their capacities in mind.

One specific challenge in the Aral Sea region is lack of capacity on digital tools. My work through this project has attempted to bridge this gap through a focus on promoting the use of mobile applications for local entrepreneurs’ businesses, particularly E-Commerce, FinTech and Social Media. Some people hesitate to adopt new solutions, citing the risks than the benefits. Nevertheless, a number of the local entrepreneurs showed their interest in digital tools and actively utilize them to make their business efficient and profitable. One workshop participant expressed her satisfaction, saying that “after learning the digital solutions, I found out that digital platforms are the right way to my dream, and now the cultures and traditions of different people, especially Japanese, became so close that helped to broaden my vision and horizon.” Technological development has been improving the local people’s quality of life in healthcare, the economy, education and other spheres. However, it is also true that there is an information disparity among the people of Uzbekistan. Although young people are keen on new applications or software, the elderly tend to have limited knowledge and access to such tools. We ensure that no one is left behind in the sphere of digitalization and endeavour to reach the furthest behind first.

Through the activities, I learned which approaches were effective in changing local people’s attitudes towards new methods. The most challenging task was to encourage conservative entrepreneurs to try new digital solutions. I found that local case studies were more persuasive than explaining benefits and risks; hence, I introduced a success story of one of the female participants. Her business activity can become success models in the target districts and give hopes and aspirations to other local entrepreneurs. Furthermore, I realised female entrepreneurs are more active and enthusiastic in adopting and attempting new ideas than I expected. It convinced me that Karakalpakstan has a bright future.

Just as local colleagues, local friends and other local people care about their homeland, I will always be invested in this place. The Aral Sea witnessed several vicissitudes since the dawn of time such as the Samanid Iranian Empire, the Genghis Khan Mongol Empire and the Timurid Empire on the Silk Road, and has built up its rich culture. Although now the Aral Sea Region is suffering severely from the water crisis due to its unique environment and improper water management, it has been developing socially and economically to rebuild its community. The hard work of the locals in collaboration with the government and development organisations is making a difference and working to build opportunities. We can contribute to their activities by responding to climate change and by tracking the progress of the Aral Sea region. Now, Karakalpakstan is not just somewhere in desert for me, it is a place of greatest concern, and I hope it will be the same for you.