Shokhrukh Jalilov, Ph.D. 
Postdoctoral Scholar 
Civil and Environmental Engineering 
Aalto University 
Helsinki, Finland 

Topic: "Benefit Sharing Opportunities in Transboundary Rivers: An Experimental Case Study of Central Asian Energy-Agriculture Dispute" 

Monday, May 11, 2015 
10:00 a.m. 
1207 RMI, South 

Abstract: 
Benefit sharing has been recognized as a strategy to promote cooperation in transboundary river basins. However, the practical application of the concept remains sparse. To initiate such discussion, the integrated framework is developed which analyzes whether upstreamdownstream linkages within the river basin could be solved in the form of benefit sharing. The hydro-economic model design optimizes the benefits of water use under the various possible scenarios, ranging from unilateral actions to cooperative actions in Amu Darya River Basin in Central Asia. Results show that optimal unconstrained benefit optimization would guarantee the highest basin-wide economic benefits. However, this scenario is not optimal from a particular countrys perspective. The best possible scenario for benefit sharing out of five examined cases would be Upstream Energy Priority scheme that maximizes energy production in upstream Tajikistan. According to our estimation this case could be a good starting point for negotiations on the benefit sharing mechanism assuming that Tajikistan would share benefits gained under this scenario with downstream countries to compensate their losses. However, the estimation does not account for the construction or operating costs of a planned water infrastructure.