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The Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health

Introduction

The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) is a unique international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform which aims to ensure the sustainable use of transboundary water resources by facilitating cooperation. Initially negotiated as a regional instrument, it has been opened up for accession to all UN Member States in 2016.

The Protocol on Water and Health, jointly serviced by UNECE and WHO-Europe, is a unique legally binding instrument aiming to protect human health by better water management and by reducing water-related diseases. The Protocol provides a practical framework to translate into practice the human rights to water and sanitation and to implement SDG 6.

In focus

Nearly 100 countries gathered in Ljubljana for the Tenth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP10) to the Water Convention (23-25 October), organized by UNECE in cooperation with the Government of Slovenia, to discuss how the Convention can help advance transboundary cooperation and increase resilience to climate change. Held at a time of increasing water-related crises, MOP10 brought together 500 participants, including over 40 high-level representatives.

Since the last session of the Meeting of the Parties in October 2021, nine new countries from three continents have joined the Water Convention. The meeting concluded with landmark decisions that strengthen the Convention's role as a global framework for transboundary water cooperation. Parties also adopted a new programme of work for 2025-2027. Numerous side events and back-to-back events addressed key topics, including Convention accession and implementation, ecosystem protection and civil society engagement.

More information is available here.

Antonio Guterres, World Water Day March 2024

On 22 March 2024, World Water Day on Water for Peace was an opportunity to recall the key role played by the Water Convention to strengthen transboundary water cooperation worldwide. The Water Convention has facilitated cooperation and supported policy processes and capacity building in shared basins for over 30 years. With its 52 Parties, 5 of which have joined in 2023, and over 20 countries currently in the process of accession, the Convention offers a unique UN framework to facilitate, for example, the development of transboundary water agreements, as foundations for peace. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reminded that “action for water is action for peace” and urged all countries to join the United Nations Water Convention.

Since the Water Convention’s global opening in 2016, Chad, Senegal (2018), Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Togo (2021), Cameroon (2022), Iraq, Nigeria, The Gambia, Namibia, Panama (2023), Côte d'Ivoire, Zimbabwe and Zambia (2024) acceded and many other countries in various regions are in the processes of accession. The Convention supports countries through the application of its Strategy for implementation at the global level and its programme of work 2022-2024 (detailed programme in ENG, FRE, RUS and SPA), which aims to strengthen cooperation and partnerships for the management of transboundary waters worldwide in order to promote sustainable development and peace.

North Macedonia and Uzbekistan have recently joined the Protocol on Water and Health, a unique multilateral environmental agreement, supporting access to water and sanitation to all through better water and environmental management. The programme of work of the Protocol on Water and Health for 2023-2025 (available in ENG, FRE and RUS) aims to address the main challenges related to water, sanitation and health in the pan-European region. The Protocol supports countries in areas such as preventing and reducing water related diseases, institutional water, sanitation and hygiene; small scale water supplies and sanitation, safe and efficient management of water supply and sanitation and equitable access to water and sanitation.