017 - Cooperation on transboundary fresh waters to ensure ecosystem conservation, climate resilience and sustainable development

017 - Cooperation on transboundary fresh waters to ensure ecosystem conservation, climate resilience and sustainable development

Latest version in this language: Version as adopted by electronic vote | Published on: 20 Nov 2020

CONCERNED that the majority of transboundary rivers, lakes and groundwater basins, which are shared by 153 countries and contain 40% of the world’s population, lack a cooperative management framework, as indicated by the first report on the Progress on Transboundary Water Cooperation for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.5.2;

RECOGNISING that transboundary water cooperation is key for the sustainability of ecosystems, particularly transboundary ecosystems, and the livelihoods of populations living there;

NOTING that a significant proportion of pollution of the marine environment is conveyed to the sea by transboundary rivers;

RECALLING the importance of transboundary water cooperation to address climate impacts, such as floods and droughts, to avoid consequences of maladaptation and to harness the co-benefits of improved regional cooperation;

UNDERLINING the importance of international commitments related to freshwater cooperation and conservation, particularly the Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (Watercourses Convention), the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on Biological Diversity, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs, and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration for 2021–2030;

NOTING that the UN Secretary-General is calling upon countries to accede to both the Watercourses Convention and the Water Convention and to strive for their full implementation;

WELCOMING the entry into force of the Watercourses Convention in 2014, as well as the promotion efforts by IUCN and others to achieve this, and the accessions by Chad and Senegal to the Water Convention following its global opening in 2016; and

RECALLING Resolutions 4.065 Freshwater biodiversity conservation, protected areas, and management of transboundary waters (Barcelona, 2008) and 5.089 Dams and hydraulic infrastructure (Jeju, 2012);

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, at its session in Marseille, France:

1. REQUESTS the Director General to ensure that the IUCN Secretariat contributes to strengthening the governance of transboundary waters, in particular by disseminating information on the role of the Watercourses Convention, the Water Convention and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, and by building capacity for acceding and implementing them;

2. CALLS ON IUCN Members, in particular civil society organisations, to promote the cooperative, equitable and sustainable management and protection of transboundary waters, and to foster accession to and implementation of the Watercourses Convention, Water Convention and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands;

3. URGES governments to:

a. ratify/accede to and implement the Watercourses Convention, the Water Convention and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands;

b. fulfil relevant commitments under international instruments, towards achieving global goals and targets on water, environment and development; and

c. develop and implement operational arrangements for transboundary water cooperation for all shared basins, fostering conservation and sustainable management of freshwater and related ecosystems and their biodiversity; and

4. ENTREATS governments to:

a. cooperate in developing and implementing strategies and measures, in particular nature-based solutions, to adapt to climate change in transboundary basins; and

b. integrate a source-to-sea approach to transboundary water cooperation to reduce marine pollution, including plastics pollution.

This motion is submitted in collaboration with the Secretariat of the UNECE Water Convention. Transboundary river and lake basins account for nearly half of the earth`s land surface and generate roughly 60% of global freshwater flow. There are also more than 600 shared aquifers. 40% of the world's population lives in shared basins. These shared waters create environmental, social, economic and political interdependencies. Transboundary waters in many areas of the world are however not used sustainably and cooperation in many transboundary basins is not adequate to tackle the existing and emerging challenges. The situation is projected to aggravate in the coming decades owing to increasing pressures from population growth, agriculture, energy production and the impacts of climate change. Transboundary water cooperation is therefore increasingly vital to ensure effective and sustainable management of shared resources.
The Watercourses Convention, entered into force in 2014, and the Water Convention, opened to all UN Member States in 2016, provide a legal and intergovernmental framework for countries to work together to ensure transboundary waters are governed in an equitable and sustainable manner. The two conventions collectively consolidate the principles and rules that underpin contemporary international water law and, although the conventions articulate their obligations in a different manner, their objectives and principles are the same. Recognizing the importance of transboundary water cooperation for sustainable development and peace, the UN Secretary-General has, in recent years, repeatedly called upon all countries to accede and fully implement the two UN global water conventions.
The Water Convention has proven its effectiveness over the past 25 years and continues to foster the implementation of integrated water resources management, particularly through the basin approach. It is a powerful tool to promote and operationalize the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG6 and such related goals as SGD2, SDG3, SDG7, SDG13, SDG15, SDG16 and SDG17). The Programme of Work for 2019-2021 intends to support the implementation of the Convention with the overall objective to manage transboundary waters worldwide in cooperation between riparian countries to promote sustainable development and peace (available at https://www.unece.org/index.php?id=51910).
WWF works from the Amazon to the Zambezi, running freshwater conservation projects in more than 50 countries – from protecting iconic species like sturgeon and river dolphins, to restoring wetlands and keeping rivers free flowing. We’re also constantly pushing for better protection for freshwater habitats at a national and international level. Ultimately, though, what’s needed is a transformation in the way water is managed across entire river basins – both the river and the land that drains water into it; therefore, it places tremendous importance on transboundary cooperation. We need businesses to take collective responsibility for shared water resources (we call this water stewardship), finance institutions to invest in sustainable water projects, and governments to protect freshwater habitats and ensure everyone’s right to enough clean water. With our new global strategy and range of innovative initiatives, WWF’s Freshwater of our work is undergoing a paradigm shift. Our focus is on securing systemic and landscape level change making transboundary cooperation key.
  • Agrárminisztérium [Hungary]
  • Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit und Verbraucherschutz [Germany]
  • Ministère de l’Environnement et du développement durable [Senegal]
  • Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères [France]
  • Ministry of the Environment of Finland [Finland]
  • Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust [United Kingdom]
  • World Wide Fund for Nature - International [Switzerland]

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