A key aspect for ensuring sustainable transboundary basin development and cooperation is funding. Funding requirements and sources depend on the scope, mandate, objectives and ambition of the transboundary cooperation arrangement. The lack of sustainable funding models however often prevents countries from deepening their cooperation. Many countries also face difficulties in financing transboundary water cooperation from national sources since often the benefits of transboundary cooperation are not always known and funding is often targeted to national and local water projects. Sustainable financing models for joint bodies and cooperation processes as well as transboundary basin development are therefore crucial.
The work on facilitating funding and financing of transboundary water cooperation and basin development, part of the Water Convention’s Programme of Work 2022-2024, is co-led by Switzerland and the Netherlands and implemented by UNECE. It aims at supporting countries and River Basin Organizations in understanding and identifying sustainable financing mechanisms for transboundary water cooperation and management. More specifically, the objectives of this programme area are to:
- Draw global attention to the importance of financing transboundary water cooperation and raise awareness on the importance of enhancing the financial sustainability of transboundary water management institutions and implementation programmes;
- Facilitate knowledge sharing and peer learning (among national authorities, joint bodies and development partners) on funding options to enhance the sustainability of transboundary water management;
- Support national authorities and joint bodies in shaping their strategies and plans for mobilizing financial resources for transboundary water cooperation processes from different sources, including national budgets
In terms of activities, the work on facilitating funding and financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development includes:
- Contribution to relevant global discussions and processes to raise awareness on the importance of sustaining financing for transboundary water cooperation and basin development;
- The development of relevant materials (guidance tools, publication, policy brief) on the current opportunities and challenges with regards to financing of transboundary water cooperation and basin development;
- Exchange of experiences at global and regional levels to facilitate peer-leaning and knowledge sharing on how to mobilize sustainable financing for transboundary water cooperation processes and basin development.
Main achievements since 2018:
On 9 October 2018, back-to-back with the eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (Nur-Sultan, 10-12 October 2018), UNECE organized a high-level workshop on financing transboundary basin development in partnership with Switzerland, the Netherlands, the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility: International Waters: Learning Exchange and Resource Network (GEF IW:LEARN), the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
Building on a background document, the workshop laid the ground for a better understanding of the concrete financial needs of basins with regards to transboundary water cooperation as well as the financial sources available. As a result of the workshop, a set of conclusions and recommendations have been captured in a co-chair summary, in which the urgent need to create enabling conditions for investments in shared basins, namely through appropriate and strong legal and institutional arrangements for cooperation, was highlighted.
With the aim of strengthening cooperation with international financial institutions and multilateral development banks missions were organized to the African Development Bank and World Bank in Spring 2019 which showed that strengthening cooperation may improve sustainability of investments in transboundary basins.
On 30 May 2019, UNECE led a session on sustainable financing of transboundary cooperation at the 5th Targeted Regional Workshop for GEF International Waters Projects and Partners in Africa in Gaborone, Botswana.
On 28 August 2019, UNECE organized in partnership with AfDB, ADB, EIB, GEF IW:LEARN, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank an event on Mobilizing financial resources for transboundary water cooperation and management at Stockholm World Water Week 2019. The event brought together more than 100 participants which discussed through interactive group work the current challenges and opportunities related with the financing of transboundary water cooperation and basins development. The main conclusions and highlights of the group discussions are available here.
In 2020, UNECE developed, in collaboration with AfDB, ADB, EIB, GEF IW:LEARN, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); OECD, Senegal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), the World Bank and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) a background study on financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development which analyses the key opportunities and challenges related to the financing of transboundary water cooperation and basin development. More specifically, the study investigates different financial needs for the development and the maintenance of joint bodies and the development and implementation of basin management and development projects. It contrasts those needs against potential sources of funding and financing, from both public and private entities. It therewith aims to provide a comprehensive overview and typology of sources of funding and financing potentially available for those involved in the management and development of transboundary basins.
The study is available in English; French; Russian and Spanish.
First global workshop on financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development (Virtual, December 2020)
Building on the background study, on 16-17 December 2020, UNECE organized a virtual workshop on financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development in partnership with the AfDB, ADB, EIB, GEF IW:LEARN, IDB; OECD, Senegal, Switzerland, The Netherlands, UNCDF, the World Bank and WWF.
This workshop which welcomed more than 200 participants, aimed at discussing the funding needs for transboundary water cooperation and basin development; the funding and financing sources (public, private) and their specific nature, characteristics, operational details and requirements and the challenges related to accessing these different financial resources and lessons learned for overcoming them.
Based on the outcomes of the workshop and comments to be received from partners and countries the background study was turned into a full publication called “Funding and financing of transboundary water cooperation and basin development".
This publication, launched at the 9th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (29 September-1 October 2021), provides a comprehensive overview of the sources of funding and financing available to support transboundary water cooperation and activities related to the management and development of shared basins. It analyses the key opportunities and challenges related to their financing. It explores the different financial needs for the establishment and operation of joint bodies and for the elaboration and implementation of basin management and development projects. It also maps these needs with existing and potential sources of funding and financing, from both public and private entities.
The publication is available in English, French, Russian and Spanish.
A summary version of the publication entitled "How to accelerate the Funding and Financing of Transboundary Water Cooperation and Basin Development? Opportunities and Challenges" was published in March 2023. The brief is
available in English , French, Russian and Spanish.
A second global workshop on funding and financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development will be organized on 5 and 6 December 2023 in person in Geneva. More information to come here.
Second global workshop on funding and financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development (Geneva, December 2023)
A second global workshop on funding and financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development was organized on 5-6 December 2023 in person in Geneva under the leadership of Switzerland and the Netherlands, and in collaboration with Senegal, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), GEF IW:LEARN, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), this workshop aimed to explore and discuss how to further mobilize both public and private capital and bolster financial support for cross-border water cooperation and management. The workshop gathered more some 200 representatives from countries, river basin organizations (RBOs), international financial institutions, climate finance mechanisms, the private sector, as well as various UN entities and NGOs working on water and financing representing countries, and rivers basins. More information can be found on the event webpage, in this article and in the dedicated outcome document here.