The secretariats of both UNECE and CAREC informed the Working Group on the status of this issue and introduced the report of the meeting in Almaty ( Kazakhstan ) , on 30-31 January 2003 and the paper `` Invitation to Partnership '' ( CEP/AC.11/2003/11 and Add.1 and 2 ) . The Almaty meeting , which had been jointly organized by UNECE and CAREC , included representatives of both Environment Ministries and Water Ministries , as well as of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea ( EC-IFAS ) .