Progress On Transboundary Water Cooperation Under The Water Convention

The publication presents and analyses the findings of the first pilot reporting exercise under the Water Convention, which was carried out in 2017. Progress made in the implementation of the Convention is reviewed and summarised, together with the identification of significant trends, success, challenges and opportunities concerning transboundary water cooperation. The reporting mechanism under the Convention was formally adopted (decision VII/2) by the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention at its seventh session (Budapest, 17-19 November 2015).

"The second progress report provides an analysis of the national reports submitted by Parties to the Convention based on a common reporting template, and therefore closely mirrors the template structure. Following an introduction, providing the context for the second reporting exercise and its results, the responses of Parties to the main parts of the reporting template are reviewed. These are analysed in the transboundary waters, joint bodies for transboundary water cooperation and activities related to the implementation of transboundary water cooperation. A chapter on selected basins takes an in-depth look at the same aspects at the basin level. In the concluding chapter, achievements in the period 2017-2020 are highlighted and detailed recommendations are provided. The analysis presented in the second report is primarily based on the answers provided by the Parties in the reporting template, and the use of other sources is both limited and secondary to those responses"--page v.

The Principles for Effective Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation, presented in this publication, distil valuable lessons from the experiences of joint bodies worldwide, Parties to the Water Convention and other States, as well as other stakeholders. These experiences were gathered through an extensive consultation process under the Water Convention. At its seventh session (Budapest, 17-19 November 2015) the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention formally adopted the principles and encouraged countries to use them. The principles seek to facilitate the establishment and work of joint bodies and ultimately to contribute to reaching a high level of cooperation between riparian States. The principles are highly relevant in the light of the opening of the Water Convention to all United Nations Member States and can assist countries in implementing one of its main obligations.

This publication presents the Principles for Effective Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation that were formally adopted by the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention at its seventh session (Budapest, 17-19 November 2015). Countries sharing transboundary waters worldwide are encouraged to make use of them when establishing new joint bodies or strengthening existing ones. The principles seek to synthesize valuable lessons from the collective experience of joint bodies for transboundary water cooperation, Parties to the Water Convention and other States, as well as other stakeholders. The principles are classified in two main categories. The first category presents principles related with the establishment of joint bodies, their structure and functions, including issues such as their tasks, their competence and mandate. The second category describes principles related with the operational aspects of joint bodies such as procedural considerations, financial and human resources.

This publication is the main output of the "Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Newly Independent States" project. It aims to define the status, trends and further needs with regard to transboundary water cooperation in the Newly Independent States (NIS), and between NIS and their neighbours. The analysis and recommendations will provide a basis for future actions and projects for the development of cooperation in the NIS on transboundary waters, in particular within the work programme of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) and the Strategic Partnership on Water for Sustainable Development.

The guide to reporting supports countries in reporting on transboundary water cooperation for the reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2 and under the Water Convention. The primary aim of the guide is to enhance the quality of national reports, which will ultimately strengthen their usefulness in informing decision-making and policy-making processes related to transboundary water cooperation at the national, basin or aquifer, regional and global levels. More specifically, the guide explains how the reporting template for reporting might be completed. It clarifies key terminology and provides practical examples of how certain questions might be answered. In addition, the guide offers guidance on how to organize the reporting process and how to utilize reporting to maximize its impact. The guide is therefore designed as a practical document for government experts who have the responsibility for conducting the reporting process and completing the template. The guide to reporting was formally requested (decision VIII/3) by the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention at its eight session (Nur-Sultan, 10-12 October 2018).