Most of the world’s water resources are shared between countries. These transboundary waters create social, economic, environmental and political interdependencies that make cooperation a precondition to sustainable development and peace. SDG indicator 6.5.2 measures cooperation on both transboundary river and lake basins, and transboundary aquifers. 

The first SDG indicator 6.5.2 progress report in 2018 established a global baseline for assessing the extent to which transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers are covered by operational arrangements. The second report in 2021 reflected on improvements both in the coverage and quality of data, and identified actions that could be taken through the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework. This third report presents the findings of the third SDG indicator 6.5.2 monitoring exercise, which took place in 2023, and places special emphasis on climate change. It provides insights into countries’ efforts to tackle the impacts of climate change and disaster risk reduction at the transboundary level. It highlights that transboundary water cooperation offers an opportunity for countries to progress sustainable development whilst also maximizing the effectiveness of measures adopted to combat climate change. 

This third report is made up of five sections. Following this introduction, section II discusses the reporting process. Section III then presents the latest data from the 2023 monitoring exercise at both global and regional levels, as well as disaggregating the data to river and lake basins, and aquifers. Section IV analyses SDG indicator 6.5.2 data within the context of climate change. The conclusion summarises key findings and highlights critical steps that should be taken to accelerate progress on transboundary water cooperation, climate change and the SDGs. 

This report is part of a series that tracks progress towards the various targets set out in SDG6 using the SDG global indicators. To learn more about water and sanitation in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6, visit the website: https://www.unwater.org/our-work/integrated-monitoring-initiative-sdg-6.  

See the press release: “Global lag on water cooperation undermines resilience to worsening floods and droughts: UNECE-UNESCO report”

More information on the work on reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2 is available at: https://unece.org/environmental-policy/water/transboundary_water_cooperation_reporting.

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Download this publication in English. The report will subsequently be available in Arabic, French, Spanish, and Russian.