UNECE to review progress in transboundary cooperation on
water issues
Geneva, 6 November 2009 --
Transboundary water relations in the pan-European region are expected to take a significant step forward at the fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention). The fifth session will be held in Geneva at the Palais des Nations, from 10 to 12 November 2009.
The session will review the work performed over the past three years. Delegates will discuss issues ranging from adaptation to climate change in the transboundary context to how best to implement the Convention. The session is expected to adopt the Guide to Implementing the Convention, which details the Convention’s various provisions. The Guide will serve as a handbook to Parties and to countries, both inside or outside the UNECE region, which are seeking to become Parties. Based on the Guide, current Parties are expected to initiate work on identifying a mechanism to settle differences regarding the Convention’s interpretation and application.
Other major themes for discussion include:
- Climate change will further complicate transboundary water management in the future. Its impacts on water resources are already visible in the region, ranging from more frequent extreme weather events such as floods and droughts to salinization and increased water scarcity. If countries adapt unilaterally, without consulting their neighbours, – for example by building dams or expanding irrigation – this will result in an increased risk of conflict over dwindling water resources. Recognizing the issue’s urgency several years ago, the Convention’s Parties have developed a Guidance on Water and Adaptation to Climate Change, expected to be adopted at the November meeting.
- Data-sharing and joint monitoring are essential for transboundary water cooperation and informed decision-making and therefore one of the core obligations of the Convention. Periodic assessments are done to monitor the Convention’s effectiveness and progress. The second Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters in the UNECE region is now in preparation and will be submitted to the Seventh Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe” (Astana, Kazakhstan, 2011). The Meeting of the Parties will review the preliminary findings on transboundary waters in South-Eastern Europe.
- With the shrinking Aral Sea and melting glaciers, Central Asia is one of the areas where transboundary cooperation is the most crucial for the survival of people and ecosystems. For the first time, the Meeting of the Parties will include a high-level segment. It will focus on transboundary water cooperation in Central Asia and the role of the Convention in the subregion. Participants will share their knowledge in implementing the Convention and demonstrate how it is a valuable instrument for both upstream and downstream countries. A number of ministers and high-level officials from Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan are due to take part in the high-level segment.
Four side-events will take place during the session, allowing for in-depth discussion of experiences and tools:
- Tuesday, 10 November, 1.15–2.45: the work of European transboundary water commissions
- Wednesday, 11 November, 1.15–2.45: the National Policy Dialogue process under the EU Water Initiative: learning from experience – shaping the future
- Thursday, 12 November, 1.15–2.45: the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative
- Thursday, 12 November, 1.15–2.45: the Petersberg II/Athens Declaration Process
General information on the meeting and documents are available at: http://www.unece.org/env/water/mop5.htm
A short version of the programme is available at: http://www.unece.org/env/water/mop5/Inf_docs/programme_short.pdf
For more information, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Note to editors
Since its entry into force in 1996 the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UNECE Water Convention) has provided an important legal framework and contributed to improving transboundary water management in the pan-European region. Currently, 35 countries and the European Community are Parties to the Convention. In 2003, the Convention was amended to allow access to countries outside the UNECE region.
The objectives of the Convention include:
- Protection of transboundary waters (both surface and groundwaters) by preventing, controlling and reducing transboundary impacts
- Ecologically sound and rational management of transboundary waters
- Reasonable and equitable use of transboundary waters and therefore prevention of conflicts;
- Conservation and restoration of ecosystems
The Convention explicitly recognizes the need to apply a number of basic principles such as the precautionary principle, the polluter-pays-principle, and the principle of sustainable management of water resources. It also includes two major categories of obligations.
The first, more general obligations apply to all Parties and include: licensing and monitoring wastewater discharge; emission limits for discharge from point sources based on the best available technology; application of best environmental practices to reduce inputs of nutrients and hazardous substances from agriculture and other sources; environmental impact assessment; development of contingency plans; setting of water-quality objectives; and minimization of the risk of accidental water pollution. The second category of obligations is addressed to Parties sharing transboundary waters. They are obliged to conclude specific bilateral or multilateral agreements providing for the establishment of joint bodies.
The UNECE Water Convention is a living agreement that has generated two Protocols: the Protocol on Water and Health, adopted in 1999 and in force since 2005, and the Protocol on Civil Liability, adopted in 2003. The Protocol on Water and Health aims to protect human health and well-being through better water management, including the protection of water ecosystems, and by preventing, controlling and reducing water-related disease. The Convention also assists Parties and non-Parties with ratification and implementation; it promotes good water governance and strengthens capacity in countries.
Ref: ECE/ENV/09/P26