UNUnited Nations Economic Commission for Europe

Press Release

[Index]

International workshop on “Transboundary Water Resources Management in South-Eastern Europe”
Sarajevo, 18-20 May 2009

Geneva, 18 May 2009 --

river

Few parts of the world face greater challenges in terms of managing transboundary water resources than South-Eastern Europe (SEE), where some 90 per cent of the territory lies in shared river basins. More than half of the region’s 13 major transboundary rivers and four shared lakes are shared by three or more riparian countries, and there are approximately 50 shared aquifers. In addition, SEE is expected to be among the regions most severely hit by climate change, and the increasing frequency and severity of droughts, floods and other extreme weather events will only intensify the need for improved cooperation.

To properly manage transboundary water resources, SEE countries must address numerous challenges: pollution from industrial facilities and mines, urban wastewater, agriculture, illegal wastewater discharge and waste disposal, groundwater pollution and water scarcity. These challenges can only be tackled in joint efforts that include all riparian countries and promote, among other things, the protection of water quality, the sustainability of water quantity, navigation, hydropower generation, flood control and conservation of natural habitats and biodiversity. SEE countries have begun to address these issues through instruments such as the Danube River Protection Convention and the Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin. The UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) has played a pivotal role in improving cooperation on shared waters in SEE, and most existing bilateral and multilateral agreements between SEE countries are based on the principles and provisions of the Convention. 

A three-day “International Workshop on Integrated Transboundary Water Resources Management in South Eastern Europe” organized by UNECE, the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), the Global Water Partnership Mediterranean and the International Sava River Basin Commission with the financial assistance from Sweden and Switzerland, will take place from 18 to 20 May in Sarajevo. The event will provide a forum for high-level discussions of transboundary waters cooperation related to institutional and legal issues (e.g. harmonization with the EU acquis communautaire, in particular the EU Water Framework Directive and its daughter directives), the multipurpose use of water resources (integrated water resources management) and strategies for climate change adaptation. It will allow the SEE countries to share good practices, identify bottlenecks and explore ways ahead.

A further goal of the workshop is to contribute to preparations of the second Assessment of transboundary waters in the UNECE region. The first Assessment, presented to the Sixth Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” (Belgrade, October 2007), gave an authoritative picture of the state of transboundary water resources in Europe and Central Asia and helped guide and stimulate further action by Governments, river basin organizations, international organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations. The second Assessment, to be submitted to the next Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” (planned to be held in Astana in 2011), will be even broader in ambition and scope. It will have a more holistic approach, integrating surface and ground waters, highlighting legal, institutional and socio-economic aspects, and emphasizing the cross-cutting issues that pose special challenges for transboundary waters, in particular the impacts of and adaptation to climate change.

For more information, please contact:

Francesca Bernardini
UNECE Environment, Housing and Land Management Division
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes
Phone: +41 (0)22 917 2463
Mobile: +41 (0)79 277 3867
Fax: +41 (0)22 917 0107
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.unece.org/env/water/

Ref: ECE/ENV/09/P09