At its sixth session (Rome, 28–30 November 2012), the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention mandated the Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management, in consultation with the Implementation Committee, to carry out an analysis on the needs for reporting under the Convention. The Working Group was to take into account the capacity of countries and other relevant reporting mechanisms. Such an analysis was to serve as the basis for the possible elaboration of the scope and modalities of a reporting mechanism to be submitted for consideration and possible adoption by the Meeting of the Parties at its seventh session in November 2015. A questionnaire was sent to all focal points in autumn 2013 and results were summarized in document Draft analysis on the needs for reporting under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (ECE/MP.WAT/WG.1/2014/3).
At its ninth meeting on 25–26 June 2014, the Working Group reviewed the questionnaire results and decided to establish a Core Group that would develop a proposal for a mechanism for reporting, for consideration at its tenth meeting on 24–25 June 2015 and possible adoption by the Meeting of the Parties. All focal points were invited to nominate members for the core group
The Core Group held its first meeting in Geneva on 15–16 December 2014. A first draft template for reporting under the Water Convention was developed based on the discussions at the first meeting and sent to the Core Group members and the Bureau for comments. The comments received were integrated as much as possible in the second version of the template which is attached.
We kindly invite you to review and send comments on this draft template by 29 March 2015 to Sonja.Koeppel@unece.org. This will enable the Core Group on Reporting, which is meeting on 30-31 March in Geneva, to review and discuss your comments in order to prepare a revised version for the Working Group at its tenth meeting. Subsequently, on 24-25 June 2015, the Working Group on IWRM will discuss the issue. Finally, the Meeting of the Parties in November 2015 is expected to take a decision.
