Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, also known as the Water Convention, is an international environmental agreement and one of five UNECE's negotiated environmental treaties. The purpose of this Convention is to improve national attempts and measures for protection and management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters. On the international level, Parties are obliged to cooperate and create joint bodies. The Convention includes provisions on: monitoring, research, development, consultations, warning and alarm systems, mutual assistance and access as well as exchange of information.

It was opened for signature in Helsinki on 17 March 1992 and entered into force on 6 October 1996. As of July 2015, it had been ratified by 41 parties, which includes 40 states and the European Union. It has been signed but not ratified by the United Kingdom.

Some of the UNECE's water related problems are of water quantity and water quality, high water stress and overexploitation of water resources, increasing droughts and floods, contaminated water resulting in water-related diseases, etc. These issues are even harder to solve due to transboundary nature of watersources UNECE region. More than 150 major rivers and 50 large lakes are either shared or are situated along the borders of two or more countries.

The Water Convention approaches its issues in a holistic way, equally emphasizing the importance of ecosystems, human societies and economies, and stressing the integrated water management instead the previously used focus on specific localized problems.

In 2003, the Water Convention was amended, allowing countries outside the UNECE region to join the Convention, and thus benefit from its legal framework and experience; the amendment entered into force in 2013. This is especially beneficial for countries bordering UNECE region.

UNECE's records on transboundary water agreements previous to the Water Convention:

Party: European Union

Signatory only: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

At their second meeting the State Parties decided to help countries in establishing joint bodies, as required by certain provisions of the Convention. Also, it was decided to facilitate cooperation between this and other UNECE conventions, and to examine difficulties arising when implementing the Convention (administrative practices). At the fifth session of the meeting of the parties, a Guide to implementing the Convention was adopted. A Guide offers commentaries to the provisions, and examples of good practices. In addition to that, an Assessment was made, to show the current status of transboundary waters. The Second Assessment covers more than 140 transboundary rivers, 25 transboundary lakes, about 200 transboundary groundwaters and 25 Ramsar sites or other wetlands of transboundary importance.

...
Wikipedia