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The International Conference on “Europe-Asia transboundary water cooperation” was held from 15 to 16 December 2011 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland. The Conference was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), at the invitation of the Government of Switzerland, in the framework of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), which is currently chaired by Switzerland.
Many transboundary river basins lie at the border between Europe and Asia and are an important source of drinking water, irrigation and hydropower. Cooperation for the sustainable use of these resources are key for the social, economic and environmental development of their riparian countries. Transboundary cooperation becomes more and more crucial in view of the expected impacts of economic development, population growth and climate change on water resources, in order to prevent conflicts between riparian countries, optimize the use of resources and ensure sustainability.
The Water Convention has, since its entry into force in 1992, provided an important framework for cooperation on transboundary waters in the UNECE region. A wealth of guidance and experience has been accumulated under its umbrella. In 2003, upon a proposal by Switzerland, the Parties adopted an amendment to open the Convention beyond the UNECE region. Once in force, this amendment will allow accession by non-UNECE countries.
In adopting the amendment, Parties stressed its particular importance for neighbouring non‑UNECE countries that share waters with UNECE countries, and have called for an increased exchange and cooperation, even before the formal entry into force of the amendment.
The International Conference on “Europe-Asia transboundary water cooperation” promoted dialogue and cooperation on the management and protection of transboundary waters along the border of the two continents, i.e., those shared by two or more of the following countries: Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Viet Nam.
In particular, the conference allowed participants to:
- Debate the current state, the progress achieved and the remaining challenges for cooperation on waters in this border region
- Exchange experiences and showcase good practices of transboundary cooperation from different basins within the European and Asian region
- Increase awareness and understanding of the UNECE Water Convention and its work, including the technical and strategic guidance documents developed under its framework and the practical experiences of its application
- Identify options for the way forward.
The conference focused on the following themes:
- Legal and institutional aspects of transboundary water cooperation
- Balancing different interests and uses in transboundary basins, and the application of integrated water resources management
- Protection of ecosystem and water quality, including monitoring and data exchange
- Extreme weather events and adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins
- Prevention and response to industrial accidents.
The report of the conference will be made available soon.