Background and objectives:

A key aspect for ensuring sustainable transboundary basin development and cooperation is funding. Funding and financing requirements and sources depend on the scope, mandate, objectives and ambition of the transboundary water cooperation arrangement. The lack of sustainable funding and financing models however often prevents countries from deepening their cooperation and improving their water management at basin level. Many countries also face difficulties in supporting transboundary water cooperation from national sources since often the benefits of transboundary cooperation are not always known. Having access to reliable funding and financing mechanisms both at domestic and international as well as from public and private sources to support cooperation processes and transboundary water management projects is therefore crucial.

Building on the first global workshop on funding and financing transboundary water cooperation and basin development, organized in 2020 - this second global workshop aims to support countries and RBOs in further mobilizing funding and financing resources for transboundary water cooperation and basin development.

It is organized by the Water Convention serviced by UNECE under the leadership of Switzerland and the Netherlands in the framework of the programme area aimed at facilitating the funding and financing of transboundary water cooperation and basin development. It is organized in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank (ADB); the Global Environment Facility (GEF); the Global Environment Facility International Waters Learning Exchange and Resources Network (GEF IW:LEARN), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); the Netherlands (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); Switzerland (Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation), the United Nations Capital Development Funds (UNCDF); and the World Bank.

The global workshop will provide a platform for:
Countries and RBOs to share experiences, challenges and good practices in mobilizing financial resources for transboundary water cooperation, management and development activities from different sources - presenting financial strategies which could be replicated;

• Countries, RBOs and the finance community to exchange between each other and identify together how to further match basin’s needs with financing opportunities through roundtables and thematic interactive discussions enabling cross-learning, mutual understanding and networking;
• IFIs and private financers (when relevant) to share information on their financing and funding priorities, financial mechanisms and requirements for countries and RBOs to access their financial support for transboundary water cooperation and management activities.

The workshop aims to address the following amin questions:

• How to mobilize public finance (domestic and international) for transboundary water cooperation and management activities?
• What types of private capital (both domestic and international) can be leveraged for transboundary water management related projects? How to access it?
• What are the existing de-risking instruments to support water related investments in transboundary setting?
• How can private investments decisions further consider transboundary water cooperation and basin development (e.g. by including transboundary issues into corporate risk assessment tools)
• What types of climate finance mechanisms support transboundary water management activities at basin level? How can countries and RBOs access them?
• What opportunities do innovative financial mechanisms bring to transboundary basins development?

This will be achieved through interactive exchanges and exercises between the countries, RBOs, and the financing community. The financing community includes here governments (Ministry of Finance), International Financial Institutions (IFIs), Climate Funds, bilateral donors, and private financiers (e.g. institutional investors, commercial banks, asset managers, impact investors).
The workshop will be followed by the Eighth meeting of the Task Force on the Water-Food Energy Ecosystems Nexus under the Water Convention on 7-8 December 2023. Participants can attend one or both meetings, as appropriate.
Targeted audience of the workshop:
The workshop is addressed to:
-    Representatives of countries with shared water resources (from Ministries of water, environment, foreign affairs and finance);
-    Representatives of RBOs and joint bodies;
-    Representatives of international financial institutions (IFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs);
-    Representatives of international and bilateral climate finance mechanisms;
-    Representatives of the private sector, including companies, private banks, investment banks, pension funds, etc.;
-    Representatives of UN entities, international organizations and NGOs working on financing (e.g. UNDP; UNCDF; UNEP Finance Initiative; Global Compact- CEO water mandate, World Water Economic Forum).

Registration :
To attend the workshop, please create an account in indico and register for the event using the following link by Friday, 24 November 2023: https://indico.un.org/event/1002266/
Please kindly find some links with instructions on:
1) How to create an indico account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZuft5xQ4U
2) How to register for an online meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaEj3hShn6U

For assistance with registration and other organisational issues, please contact the secretariat by email: [email protected] .
Eligible participants from countries with economies in transition and developing countries may apply for financial support to facilitate their participation in the meeting using the financial support request form attached to the invitation email. Requests for financial support should be submitted to the UNECE secretariat ([email protected]) as soon as possible, but not later than 24 October 2023. No application will be accepted after this deadline. Only limited funding is available; participants will be notified by 2 November 2023 whether their application has been accepted or not.

Participants requiring entry visas should inform the UNECE secretariat as soon as possible. Since Switzerland is part of the Schengen Zone, obtaining a visa might take up to 5 weeks. Participants needing a visa are therefore requested to submit their application as soon as possible and initiate visa procedures at least four weeks before the meeting.
On their way to the meeting, participants should obtain an identification badge at the Pass and Identification Unit of the United Nations Office at Geneva Security and Safety Section located at the Pregny Gate, in front of International Committee of the Red Cross. Please allow at least one hour time for this.

Practical information on the Palais des Nations, as well as on transport and accommodation in Geneva, is available online: http://www.unece.org/meetings/practical.html  and for badge collection: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/practical-information/pregny-gate-reo… . You can also find a map of the Palais des Nations here: https://www.ungeneva.org/en/about/practical-information/map
For assistance with registration and other organisational issues, please contact Ms. Cammile Marcelo [email protected]