The 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (MOP10) took place in Ljubljana from 23 to 25 October 2024. It was organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning of the Republic of Slovenia, on behalf of the Government of Slovenia, in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Water Convention, hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
A continuously growing interest in transboundary water cooperation and the Water Convention
Held at a time of increasing water-related crises, MOP10 brought together 500 participants from 100 countries, including over 40 high-level representatives, to shape the future of transboundary water cooperation.
Since the MOP’s last session in October 2021, 9 new countries from 3 continents have acceded to the Water Convention, marking a 20% increase in Parties and underscoring the Convention’s growing global relevance as the reference UN multilateral framework for water cooperation.
The Water Convention: a key role to build climate resilience
The high-level special session "Our Waters, Our Future: Transboundary Water Cooperation to Power Climate Resilience" concluded that transboundary cooperation is essential for climate adaptation and mitigation, helping reduce water conflicts, sustain ecosystems and drive sustainable development.
A new programme of work to address transboundary water resources-related challenges
The Parties adopted a new programme of work for 2025-2027, which addresses the diverse needs of countries and advances key areas such as water quality, source-to-sea management and biodiversity conservation. The programme of work also reflects the Convention’s role in tackling the growing impacts of climate change on transboundary waters.
Key decisions to strengthen the Convention’s global impact
Decisions on cooperation with international financial institutions and on cooperation with regional organizations will support the implementation of the Convention in favour of transboundary water cooperation and basin development. One decision involved expanding translation and interpretation services into all six official UN languages to ensure equal and effective participation by all Parties. A major milestone was reached in adopting a decision to initiate a process to shape the future financing of the Water Convention's work.
New status reports and tools to support transboundary water cooperation
The third report on the implementation of the Water Convention highlights significant achievements by Parties, such as new agreements and action plans which showcase the benefits of cooperation, including improved water quality, healthier ecosystems and strengthened governance. It also identifies challenges in some transboundary basins, that the new programme of work aims to address.
The third report on the SDG indicator 6.5.2 (UNECE, UNESCO, 2024) shows that only 28 countries worldwide have all their shared waters covered by operational arrangements for water cooperation, and that the global lag on water cooperation undermines resilience to worsening floods and droughts.
The new publication on data and information sharing presents a global collection of case studies building on real-life experiences across political, sectoral and institutional boundaries. It demonstrates the crucial importance of data and information sharing for informed decision-making and building trust among riparian countries.
Related press releases and coverage
Press releases: Governments affirm role of UN Water Convention in building climate resilience (24 October 2024); 10th Meeting of the Parties to UN Water Convention to advance cooperation on global water challenges (10 October 2024)
IISD reporting: Summary report, 23-25 October 2024
Press coverage by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning | GOV.SI
Outcomes of back-to-back events
Outcomes of the back-to-back Match-Making event “Accelerating transboundary cooperation and the implementation of the Water Convention in new Parties through increased support and partnership” (Ljubljana, 22 October 2024) can be found here.
More information of the event “Results of Water Management Innovation in the Eastern Partnership Countries leading up to the Water Convention MOP10” (Ljubljana, 22 October 2024) can be found here.