The Convention obliges Parties to prevent, control and reduce water pollution from point and non-point sources.

The Convention also includes provisions for monitoring, research and development, consultations, warning and alarm systems, mutual assistance, institutional arrangements, and the exchange and protection of information, as well as public access to information.

Under the Convention, the Protocol on Water and Health was adopted in London on 17 June 1999, and the Protocol on Civil Liability was adopted in Kiev on 21 May 2003.

Recent developments

On 28 October 2009, a national workshop on the Water Convention was held in Skopje, The former Yugoslav Repuvblic of Macedonia.

On 7 April 2009, the Convention' s International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC) was officially inaugurated at the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute in Bratislava. Press release - Pictures

The new brochure on the Protocol on Water and Health is now available in English, French, Russian and Spanish, with additional information on target-setting (English, French, Spanish, Russian).

The new brochure on the Water Convention is now available in English, French, Spanish, Russian, with some additional information on the Assessment (English, French, Russian, Spanish) and the activities regarding water and climate change adaptation under the Water Convention (English, French, Spanish, Russian).

The first Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters in the UNECE region was launched on 10 October within the Sixth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe".

Report on the fourth meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention, including the adopted Model Provisions on Transboundary Flood Management.

Newly published booklet on "Nature for water: innovative financing for the environment". It's a follow-up to the booklet "Nature for water: protecting water-related ecosystems for sustainable development".

UNECE, in collaboration with UNESCAP and OSCE, is assisting the Governments of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in establishing the joint commission on the Chu and Talas rivers, as stipulated in their recent Agreement. This project will not only enhance cooperation between Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan on the Chu and Talas rivers, but will also be an example for Central Asia. The project will contribute to a better understanding of the principles of the Water Convention in Central Asia and the creation of an enabling environment to facilitate the accession of Central Asian countries to the Convention.