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.

Forthcoming meetings

17-19 September 2008: Bureau of the Convention, Bureau of the Protocol, Joint Bureaux of the Convention and of the Protocol

24-25 September 2008, Geneva: Second meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Protocol on Water and Health

2-3 October 2008, Geneva: fifth meeting of the Legal Board

22-24 October 2008, Rome: Working Group on Integrated Water Resource Management and an event during the European Forest Week

2-4 December 2008, Geneva: Workshop on target setting under the Protocol on Water and Health and second meeting of the Task Force on Indicators and Reporting

Recent developments

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".

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".

The brochure on the Water Convention "What it is, why it matters" is now available in the six official UN languages: English, Russian, French, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese. Copies can be requested to the secretariat.

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.

Past meetings

20 August 2008, Stockholm: Workshop on the Protocol on Water and Health, World Water Week

9-10 July, Geneva: Joint Expert Group on Water and Industrial Accidents

1-2 July 2008, Amsterdam: International Workshop on Adaptation to Climate Change in Water Sector

26-27 June 2008, Geneva: First meeting of the Working Group on Water and Health under the Protocol on Water and Health

25 June 2008, Geneva: first meeting of the Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism under the Protocol on Water and Health, back to back with the First meeting of the Working Group on Water and Health

17(p.m.) -18 June 2008, Geneva: Ninth meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment

16-17 (a.m.) June 2008, Geneva: International seminar on monitoring and assessment of transboundary waters

14-16 May 2008, Romania: CWC workshop on water and health

21-22 April 2008, Rome: first meeting of the Task Force on Extreme Weather Events under the Protocol on Water and Health

The Workshop on the protection of groundwater as a source of drinking water in karst areas took place on 14-15 April 2008 in Malinska, Island Krk (Croatia)

The first meeting of the Compliance Committee under the Protocol on Water and Health took place in Geneva on 12 March 2008. The Committee laid the basis of its rules of procedures.

The first meeting of the Task Force on Indicators and Reporting under the Protocol on Water and Health took place in Geneva on 13-14 March 2008. The Task Force discussed guidelines for setting targets, assessing progress and reporting under the Protocol and agreed on preliminary elements of the Protocol's reporting system.

The First meeting of the Task Force on Water and Climate was organized on 22-23 November 2007, in Bonn (Germany). The Task Force considered various issues in relation to transboundary flood management and water and climate adaptation.

The Eighth meeting of the Joint ad hoc Expert Group on Water and Industrial Accidents took place on 15 November 2007, in Yerevan (Armenia). The meeting held back to back with the Workshop on the Safety of Tailing Management Facilities, organised on 12–14 November 2007.

The fourth CWC workshop on "River basin commissions and other institutions for transboundary water cooperation" was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 23-25 October, 2007, back to back with the annual regional meeting of the "UNDP Water Community of Practice" 25 -26 October 2007. The two consecutive workshops were co-organized by UNECE, UNDP, and OSCE.

The Workshop on Equitable Access to Water was held in Paris, France 5-6 July 2007.

Workshop on Transboundary Accidental Water Pollution, Liability and Compensation: Challenges and Opportunities took place in Budapest, Hungary 21-22 May 2007.

The First Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health was held in Geneva on 17-19 January 2007.

The Roundtable on "The Human Right to Water and the Protocol on Water and Health: making access to water a reality", jointly organized by WHO-EURO, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNECE, on the occasion of the first meeting of the Parties to the Protocol took place in Geneva on 18 January 2007.

The Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention took place in Bonn, Germany on 20-22 November 2006.