United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
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UNECE
Water Convention |
UNECE has to tackle a wide range of water quantity
and water quality problems: high water stress
and overexploitation of water resources, increasing
droughts and floods, contaminated water resulting
in water-related diseases, etc.
Attempts at solving these complex problems
in Europe are further complicated by the essentially
transboundary nature of water resources. More
than 150 major rivers and 50 large lakes in
the UNECE region run along or straddle the border
between two or more countries. Twenty European
countries depend for more that 10% of their
water resources on neighbouring countries and
five countries draw 75% of their resources from
upstream countries.
Fortunately, UNECE member States are aware
of the need for cooperation if they are to ensure
that transboundary waters are used reasonably
and equitably. They know that they share the
same water resources and rely on each other
to apply effective solutions. This positive
approach to the problem has been triggered,
in no small measure, by the UNECE Convention
on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses
and International Lakes, which 34 UNECE countries
and the European Community have already ratified.
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Full text of the Convention in
pdf format
English
Russian
French
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| An amendment to the
Convention was adopted in 2003 at the third
meeting of the Parties. The amendment, once
in force (see here
for status), will open the Convention to accession
upon approval by the Meeting of the Parties
to UN Member States that are not members of
the UNECE. |
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Full text of the amendment in
pdf format
English
Russian
French
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Brochure on the Water Convention
"What it is, why it matters"
English
(1 MB)
Russian(0.9 MB)
French
(1 MB)
Spanish
(1.1 MB)
Arabic
(2.9 MB)
Chinese
(2.7 MB)
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