Cross-border projects |
Above: The Lower Mekong Basin is shared by Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam and is one of the most advanced basins in terms of transboundary climate change adaptation. Credit: LocHuynh /
Shutterstock.com
will work to highlight the critical importance of cooperating over shared water resources for water security and sustainable development. “Accelerating transboundary water cooperation
References
Information provided courtesy of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe https://
unece.org/env/water
The Water Convention: 30 Years of Impact and Achievements on the Ground by the United Nations Economic Commission For Europe, Geneva, 2022.
unece.org/sites/default/ files/2022-06/UNECE- TheWaterConvention- 30Years-A4-150dpi_WEB2.pdf
requires a broad partnership of actors to bring this key issue to the forefront of the global agenda,” said UNECE Executive Secretary Olga Algayerova. “We have a lot to do from the strengthening of the legal and institutional frameworks, including on the basis of the UN Water Convention, to enhancing capacity, making data available, increasing financing, and sharing knowledge. UNECE is proud to be a member of the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition and encourages all governments to announce their commitment to joining the Water Convention.” Welcoming the establishment of the coalition on behalf of Slovenia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanja Fajon and the Minister of the Environment and Spatial Planning Uroš Brežan emphasised that transboundary water cooperation is about the management of shared water resources, shared interests, constructive reciprocity and building trust. “Slovenia, a predominantly upstream country and a
Below: Panama became the first country from Latin America to accede to the UN Water Convention
party to the International Sava River Basin Commission as well as to the UNECE Water Convention, has first- hand experience of water as a conduit to regional peace and security,” they said. “This has motivated us to become a cheerleader for transboundary water cooperation and to join a coalition of like-minded countries and organisations. We wish to inspire action and commitment….Our goal is a water secure world. With more than 60% of freshwater crossing national borders, this goal can only be achieved through effective transboundary cooperation, which we are practicing on a daily basis.” “Water is a key political, climate, environmental and development issue for the 21st century. We need to make it a matter of partnership rather than an arena of competition,” stressed Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, from the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.
Slow progress At the United Nations 2023 Water Conference in
March, the coalition issued a joint statement that warned “cooperation in most transboundary basins is not adequate to deal with future challenges, and progress is too slow”, calling for “increased ambition of the world’s efforts in this area”. “The existence of effective and sustainable transboundary water cooperation can catalyse
20 | August 2023 |
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regional integration, drive cooperation in other areas, or build sustainable peace. The absence of such cooperation is at best a waste of resources and, in the worst cases, can multiply risks that can contribute to the destabilisation of societies and threaten security,” it continued to warn. Through its incredibly diverse set of members that support transboundary water cooperation on policy, governance, capacity development, technical support and finance, the coalition calls for increased efforts to: Take better advantage of the economic, social, environmental and political benefits of transboundary cooperation, and build on them to develop sustainable and resilient cooperation and overcome bottlenecks towards mutually beneficial outcomes. Create enabling legal, policy and institutional environments as well as economic, financial and political incentives for cooperation, across borders and sectors, over transboundary surface and groundwater, from source to sea. Improve the governance framework for transboundary water cooperation by developing or strengthening agreements between riparian states, which respond to changing pressures, such as climate change. Strengthen the scientific and information base for decision-making by improving the technical- political interface, enhancing hydrometeorological monitoring networks, supporting data, information and knowledge generation, and adopting open data and information exchange policies Enhance capacity at all levels to manage shared water resources in an integrated, sustainable and inclusive manner by increasing education and training, as well as through technical assistance and the sharing of best practices. Increase international and national financing for transboundary water cooperation, strengthen the financial resilience of transboundary basin organisations, and increase public and private investments in transboundary basins which combine regional and national benefits, such as investments in joint investment plans, cooperative infrastructure, and nature-based solutions.
Latin America More recently in July 2023, Panama became the first
country from Latin America to accede to the Water Convention. With slightly over four million inhabitants, Panama is well-endowed with water resources, with approximately 33,000m3
of freshwater per capita
available (nearly six times the global average) and mostly relies on surface water resources. Panama shares river basins with Costa Rica and Colombia. The total area of transboundary river basins represents approximatively 25% of the national territory and cooperation is considered to be key to the development of the border regions. UNECE said it strongly encourages other countries
from the region to join the Water Convention, and for those that are already in the process, to accelerate accession efforts to reap the benefits of this proven instrument. At present, there are several countries in Latin America and the Caribbean in the process, including the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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