INBO - Newsletter

INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 29 UNECE More than 15 countries announced their interest to accede to the Water Convention at the historic eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Conven- tion in Astana. From 10 to 12 October 2018, around 600 participants from 88 countries (including both Parties and non-Par- ties), River Basin Organizations (RBOs), international organizations and NGOs gathered in Astana, Kazakhstan for the eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties (MOP8) to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Trans- boundary Watercourses and Interna- tional Lakes (Water Convention) to dis- cuss progress in transboundary water cooperation worldwide. Serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the Water Convention aims to ensure the sustainable use of trans- boundary water resources by facilitat- ing cooperation. In 2018, the Water Convention welcomed its two first Parties from beyond the pan-European region namely Chad and Senegal. MOP 8 was the first Meeting of the Parties held in Asia. More than 15 countries expressed their interest to become Parties to the Convention. The MOP 8 took stock of progress made in the past 3 years within activ- ities implemented under the Conven- tion in various areas. For example, the joint work with INBO on climate change adaptation was pre- sented. The meeting also saw the launch of the first report on implementation of the Convention. Future activities were also discussed and the new Program of Work for 2019-2021 was adopted. While this new program of work will continue most of the work areas initiated in the past, it will also explore new areas of work such as the financing of trans- boundary water cooperation. This topic was discussed in depth in the margins of the MOP8 during a high-level work- shop organized on 9 October where the urgent need to create enabling condi- tions for investments in shared basins was stressed, namely through appro- priate and strong legal and institutional arrangements for cooperation. The meeting also launched three new publications: an implementation guide on addressing water related disasters and transboundary cooperation pre- pared with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, an updated methodology on assessing the water- food-energy ecosystem nexus and a brochure on identifying, assessing and communicating benefits of coopera- tion. A number of other decisions and doc- uments were also adopted including the new strategy for the global imple- mentation of the Convention in which a crucial importance is given to the strengthening and development of partnerships, such as with INBO and river basin organizations. Diane GUERRIER Associate Environmental Affairs Officer UNECE guerrierd@un.org guerrierd@un.org www.unece.org Uzbekistan An International Conference on “Water for Land Reclamation, Economic Sec- tors and Natural Environment in the context of Climate Change”, orga­ nized by the International Network of Basin Organizations of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA- NWO), took place on 6 and 7 Novem- ber 2018 in Tashkent. Throughout the workshop, key stake- holders and participants exchanged views on current issues regarding the management, use and protection of water resources in Central Asia in the context of climate change. It was especially pointed out that the current challenges facing the countries in the region, including climate change, the potential increase in water demand of neighboring countries (Afghanistan, China, Iran), population growth and economic and social changes, require appropriate adaptation measures. In this context, it is important to esta­ blish long-term water strategies (2030-2050) for each country and to develop a regional action plan for sus- tainable and peaceful development. Other issues were also addressed and discussed in detail regarding the role and future development of water and environmental sciences, building the capacity of key stakeholders, and con- tinuing and systematic training of water management structure staff. and not forgetting public awareness. The next conference of the network will be held in 2019 on the theme “Science and innovations for water security” as part of the XV International Scientific Congress and Exhibition “Water of Russia 2019”, to be held in Yekater- inburg. www.eecca-water.net Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia CEE-ONU Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention 10 -12 October - Astana - Kazakhstan International Conference on “Water for Land Reclamation, Economic Sectors and Natural Environment in the context of Climate Change” Participants in the Conference Side event on “Transboundary Cooperation” A United Nations global high-level meeting to discuss and promote progress on transboundary water cooperation worldwide ASTANA I KAZAKHSTAN I 10-12 OCTOBER I 2018 First Meeting of the Parties held inAsia with membership beyond the pan-European region