Cross-border projects | In this together
Cooperation for the management of transboundary waters to promote sustainability, peace and security is becoming even more relevant as climate change increases pressure on the world’s water resources. Over the past 30 years the UN Water Convention has worked hard to tackle the issue of improving cooperation over shared water resources, and the recent formation of the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition hopes to accelerate such action and commitment
Above: Transboundary cooperation in the Dniester River Basin, which is shared by Moldova and Ukraine, has been a focal point since the early 2000s
MORE THAN THREE BILLION people depend on water that crosses national borders, and with 153 countries sharing the world’s 286 transboundary rivers, the fundamental role of water cooperation for peace and sustainable development has never been more important. In March 1992, governments gathered in Helsinki with a vision to manage shared waters in a collaborative and sustainable way, mitigating risks and preventing possible conflict over a common resource. By the end of the meeting, the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (the Water Convention) was born. Serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the impact of the agreement that was put on paper in Helsinki continues to resonate around the world. More than 30 years after its adoption, the convention is described as being “more relevant than ever” as it provides both a holistic legal framework and an intergovernmental platform on how to better manage shared watercourses, while contributing to sustainable development goals. Worldwide over 130 countries are taking part in its activities and there are currently 51 parties to the convention that is providing an intergovernmental platform for the day-to-day development and advancement of transboundary cooperation. The convention requires parties to prevent, control and reduce negative impacts on water quality and
18 | August 2023 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
quantity across borders, to use transboundary waters in a reasonable and equitable way, and to ensure their sustainable management through cooperation. Parties bordering the same transboundary waters are obliged to cooperate by concluding specific agreements and establishing joint bodies. “The Water Convention is a vital instrument for managing and developing transboundary waters in peace and in trust,” said Cecilia Abena Dapaah, Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources of Ghana. Over the past three decades the Water Convention has served as a mechanism to strengthen international cooperation and some of its success stories are listed below: Transboundary cooperation in the Dniester Basin, which is shared by Moldova and Ukraine, has been a focal point since the early 2000s. Working with its partners, the convention helped to create a framework for ecosystem-based adaptation and the implementation of actions on the ground. In particular, the Strategic Framework for Adaptation to Climate Change in the Dniester River Basin and its Implementation Plan, adopted in 2015 and 2017, identify joint options at the basin level. Examples include the initiation of constructive dialogue on the new rules for the operation of the Novodnestrovsk hydropower dam.
Five countries (Ukraine, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Serbia) share the Tisza River Basin – a tributary to the Danube that is prone to
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