The sixth Meeting of the Parties (MOP6) of the
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and
International Lakes (Water Convention) met from Wednesday, 28 to Friday,
30 November 2012 at the Chambers
of Deputies in Rome, Italy. The meeting was attended by more than 320
people, including parties, non-party states, intergovernmental
organizations (IGOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). MOP6
addressed many substantive issues related to the work
of the Convention, such as: its opening to all members of the UN beyond
the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) region; support for
implementation and compliance; transboundary groundwater; a thematic
assessment on the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus;
water and adaptation to climate change; cooperation with other
multilateral environmental agreements and international partners; vision
for the future of the Water Convention; and the programme of work for
2013–2015.
The MOP adopted decisions on, inter alia:
support to implementation and compliance, establishing an
Implementation Committee; model provisions on transboundary
groundwaters; accession by non-ECE countries; cooperation with the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Economic, Social and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO); vision for the future of the Convention;
and the programme of work for 2013-2015, including
implementing bodies and the budget.
During the meeting, the signing ceremony of the
new bilateral Treaty between the Government of the Republic of Moldova
and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on Cooperation in the Field of
Protection and Sustainable
Development of the Dniester River Basin, with Gheorghe Salaru, Minister
of Environment, Republic of Moldova, and Eduard Stavytskyi, Minister of
Ecology and Natural Resources, Ukraine.
This report presents a summary of the
presentations and discussions during the three days of the meeting, as
well as the main decisions taken by MOP6, organized following the agenda
items.
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WATER CONVENTION
The Convention on the Protection and Use of
Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention)
was adopted in Helsinki, Finland, on 17 March 1992 and entered into
force in 1996. There are currently
39 parties to the Convention. The Convention was amended in 2003 to
allow accession by all UN Member States. On 8 November 2012 the
necessary number of ratifications for the amendments on the opening of
the Convention to all UN Member States to enter into
force was reached, therefore, the amendments will enter into force on 6
February 2013.
The Water Convention has the objective to
strengthen national measures for the protection and sound management of
transboundary surface water and groundwater. Under the Convention,
parties are required,
inter alia,
to: prevent, control and reduce transboundary impacts; use
transboundary waters reasonably and equitably; and manage them
sustainably. The Convention includes provisions
inter alia,
on monitoring, research and development, consultations, warning
systems, mutual assistance and access to information by the public.
There are two protocols to the Convention. The
Protocol on Health and Water was adopted in London, the United Kingdom,
in 1999 and entered into force in 2005. The Protocol on Health and Water
is signed by 36 countries
and has been ratified, acceded, accepted or approved by 25 parties. The
Protocol aims to protect human health and wellbeing by better water
management, including the protection of water ecosystems, and by
preventing, controlling and reducing water-related
diseases.
The Protocol on Civil Liability and Compensation
for Damage Caused by the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
on Transboundary Waters to the Water Convention and to the 1992
Convention on the Transboundary Effects
of Industrial Accidents (Industrial Accident Convention), was signed in
Kiev, Ukraine in 2003, at the Fifth “Environment for Europe”
Ministerial Conference as a response to the Baia Mare cyanide spill
accident in Romania. It has not yet entered into force.
The Civil Liability Protocol provides for a comprehensive regime for
civil liability and compensation for damage resulting from transboundary
effects of industrial accidents on transboundary waters.
MOP3: The third session of the MOP was held in Madrid, Spain, from 26 - 28 November 2003. At this meeting, parties decided,
inter alia,
to open up the possibility of acceding to the Convention to countries
outside the UNECE region and to focus further work under the Convention
on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central
Asia (EECCA), where many rivers and lakes that used to be a national
concern within the Soviet Union are now shared between sovereign states.
MOP4: The fourth session of the MOP was held from 20 - 22 November 2006, in Bonn, Germany. At this meeting, parties,
inter alia,
adopted the: Strategies for Monitoring and Assessment of Transboundary
Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters; new Model provisions on transboundary
flood management; Safety Guidelines and
Good Practices for Pipelines, jointly with the Parties to the
Industrial Accidents Convention; and the Recommendations on the Payments
for Ecosystem Services (PES) in Integrated Water Resources Management
(IWRM). MOP4 agreed to develop new pilot projects in
South-Eastern Europe (SEE) and in EECCA. Parties decided to develop a
Strategy for the UNECE region on Water and Climate Adaptation, and the
involvement of the Convention in the National Policy Dialogues (NPD) in
EECCA countries within the framework of the
EU Water Initiative.
MOP5: The fifth session of the MOP took place from 10 - 12 November 2009 in Geneva, Switzerland. MOP5,
inter alia:
adopted the Guide to Implementing the Convention and the Guidance on
Water and Adaptation to Climate Change; mandated the Legal Board of the
Convention to explore options for a mechanism
to support implementation and compliance in view of considering
proposals for such mechanism at MOP6; endorsed the Safety guidelines and
good practices for tailings management facilities; decided on the
continuation of the NPD under the EU Water Initiative;
and agreed a roadmap to develop the Second Assessment of Transboundary
Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters in UNECE region, to be issued by the
Seventh Ministerial Conference “Environment for Europe.”
WATER CONVENTION MOP6 REPORT
OPENING SESSION OF THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
On Wednesday 28 November, Sibylle Vermont,
Switzerland, Chair of MOP6, opened the meeting and high-level segment,
highlighting the city of Rome and its renowned Fountain of Four Rivers
as an appropriate venue to promote
transboundary water cooperation. Rocco Buttiglione, Vice-President,
Chamber of Deputies, on behalf of Gianfranco Fini, President, Chamber of
Deputies, Italy, thanked participants for accepting his government’s
invitation to attend MOP6,and welcomed the opening
of the Convention to non-Economic Commission for Europe countries. He
said water resources are a common good for all people and that,
therefore, an international governance system is needed to manage them.
Corrado Clini, Minister for the Environment, Land
and Sea, Italy, stated his country’s commitment to support the
Convention and recognized efficient integrated water resource management
(IWRM) as a pillar of sustainable
development. Delivering a message on behalf of Ban Ki-moon, UN
Secretary-General, Andrey Vasilyev, Deputy Executive Secretary, UN
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), encouraged countries outside the
UNECE region to join the Convention. He stressed that
the Water Convention and the UN Convention on Watercourses are
complementary to each other and called for coherent implementation.
Vasilyev then highlighted key achievements of the Convention, namely:
strengthened implementation and compliance; the Second
Assessment of Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters; adaptation
to climate change; national policy dialogues; and projects on the
ground. Delegates then adopted the agenda (ECE/MP.WAT/36).
STATUS OF RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTION AND ITS PROTOCOLS, AND REPORT ON CREDENTIALS
On Wednesday, Chair Vermont introduced the agenda
item on status of ratification of the Convention and its protocols, and
report on credentials (MOP-6/2012/INF.1/REV). Francesca Bernardini,
Secretary to the Convention,
UNECE, informed participants the Convention has 39 Parties and that 27
parties have ratified the amendments to Article 25 on ratification,
acceptance, approval and accession and Article 26 on entry into force
and the amendments will enter into force on 6 February
2013. She observed that this ratification represents a trend of
acceleration towards ratification. She also said this meeting included a
record participation from parties with only two Parties not
represented. On Friday afternoon, the representative of the
Credential Committee reported that all credentials were in order.
SPECIAL
SESSION ON THE TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CONVENTION AND ITS OPENING
TO ALL UN MEMBER STATES: MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS AND REMAINING CHALLENGES FOR
THE CONVENTION
MAIN ACHIEVEMENTS AND REMAINING CHALLENGES FOR THE CONVENTION:
On Wednesday morning, Chair Vermont introduced this item
(MOP-6/2012/INF.2
and MOP-6/2012/INF.3) and the members of the panel for the special
session. She highlighted three achievements of the Convention: the
Convention as a model for bilateral and multilateral treaties on shared
waters; the role of the Convention in driving national
water legislation; and the globalization of the Convention. She
recognized that climate change is presenting new challenges for the
Convention.
Johan Kuylenstierna, Executive Director, Stockholm
Environment Institute (SEI), moderated the panel. He said he was
inspired by the progress of the Convention.
Lea Kauppi, Director General, Finnish Environment
Institute, Finland, said one success of the Convention is its ability to
adapt to new conditions, new requirements and emerging challenges, such
as climate change. She
said the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus represents a global
challenge and highlighted the findings of the Second Assessment, which
found a lack of integration among these sectors.
Ahmet Muhammedov, Deputy Minister, Ministry of
Water Economy, Turkmenistan, recognized the Convention’s role in
improving water management in of Central Asia. He said Turkmenistan is
committed to IWRM and looked forward
to close cooperation with all parties.
Péter Kovács, State Secretary for Water, Ministry
of Rural Development, Hungary, stressed active participation of parties
in the Convention and called for a focus on implementation. He welcomed
the globalization of the
Convention as a milestone.
Uladzimir Tsalka, Minister of Natural Resources
and Environmental Protection, Belarus, recommended close collaboration
with other international agreements, including the UN Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
and the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution.
Arben Demeti, Deputy Minister of Environment,
Forests and Administration of Waters, Albania, said the Convention has
inspired national efforts and transboundary cooperation on sustainable
water management, in particular
in the Drin basin in South-Eastern Europe, and supported immediately
opening the Convention with unanimous consent of the MOP. Marina
Seliverstova, the Russian Federation, highlighted the Convention as a
basic tool for bilateral and multilateral cooperation
and for national law and strategies. She welcomed the opening to
non-ECE members, noting this will increase the international profile of
the Convention, and supported the creation of the Implementation
Committee.
Kuylenstierna opened the floor for interventions.
Many countries shared their experiences on bilateral and multilateral
cooperation and with the implementation of the Convention. France
stressed that future work under
the Convention should be on: opening the Convention to make it truly
global; addressing current difficulties on cooperation on transboundary
water issues; and developing an integrated framework for tackling the
linkages of water with health, education and
science issues. Underscoring the negative impacts of climate change on
water resources, the Republic of Moldova called for the development of
climate change adaptation policies.
Noting that it was the first country to accede to
the Convention, Azerbaijan shared its experience with bilateral
collaboration with Georgia on water resources. He said Azerbaijan will
achieve all water-related Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) before 2015. Kazakhstan shared its experiences
in implementing the Convention and welcomed the Second Assessment.
Uzbekistan recognized that the majority of Central Asian countries are
parties to the Convention and encouraged all countries
around the world to ratify the Convention.
Bulgaria supported opening the Convention to
non-ECE countries to expand the application of the principles of IWRM.
Serbia said opening the Convention to non-ECE countries represents an
opportunity to exchange experiences
and good practice on transboundary cooperation. Bosnia and Herzegovina
expressed interest in participating in future programmes and activities
of the Convention.
The Netherlands welcomed the evolution of the
Convention to address emerging challenges, including climate change
adaptation. Slovakia called for future work on climate change impacts,
including on flood protection and
drought strategies. The Czech Republic welcomed the establishment of
the Implementation Committee. On addressing future challenges for the
Convention, Romania highlighted strengthening capacity building and
cooperation, and creating a funding mechanism to
support implementation at the national, regional and international
levels.
Austria noted the broad support for UNECE
activities and the work of the Secretariat, and stressed that future
focus should be on making the Convention a platform for an exchange of
innovative ideas, such as the water-food-energy-ecosystems
nexus, adaptation to climate change, and tapping into new forms of
funding.
Several other parties supported work on the
water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus, including the Netherlands and the
Czech Republic.
Germany expressed support for the work of the
Convention and its bodies and said opening the Water Convention to
non-ECE countries is likely as it is useful worldwide. She highlighted
the Implementation Committee as a
new challenge.
The EU, on behalf of its Member States, welcomed
the Convention’s work and recognized the linkages among water and
climate change, desertification, disaster management and food security.
She said effective institutional
settings and good water governance are key to achieving peace and
political stability.
Recalling the impacts of floods and droughts in
Asian countries, Thailand called for increased cooperation and a further
exchange of good practices for water resources management to address
people’s basic needs for water.
The International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea
called for more capacity building and support by the Secretariat to
explain the provisions of the Convention and promote its implementation.
The UN Environment Programme
(UNEP) called for scaling up and accelerating action towards
sustainable water management. Sahara and Sahel Observatory reported on
cooperation experience on shared aquifers in northern Africa. He noted
his expectation for the opening the Convention to non-ECE
countries and for the Convention to mobilize more technical assistance
for implementation. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC)
shared experiences on water cooperation among the 15 SADC countries and
stressed potential mutual learning between UNECE
and SADC countries resulting from the opening of the Convention.
Africa Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) drew
attention to the engagement of African heads of states and governments
on transboundary water issues and supported expanding the scope of the
Convention and increasing collaboration
with the Secretariat.
The Global Water Partnership (GWP) stressed IWRM
as a tool for sustainable water management and offered to collaborate
with the Convention on knowledge products, implementation and expanding
the Convention’s scope. The
European Environment Agency (EEA) noted that the Second Assessment
filled an existing gap, but that the data and information are neither
harmonized nor equally accessible across the region. He stressed that
future assessments should be explicitly commissioned
by, and produce relevant results for, policy makers. He recommended
that the UNECE collaborate in the development of a shared environmental
information system that could be used across the region and offered
EEA’s experience on evaluating the effectiveness
of assessments.
The UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy
for Central Asia highlighted the creation of the Implementation
Committee as an important step towards improving compliance and called
for smooth coordination with the UN
Watercourses Convention. On future work of the Convention, the Ramsar
Convention emphasized the need for recognizing wetlands and other
ecosystem services and for integrating the economic accounting of such
services.
Conservation International supported the expansion
of the Convention outside the UNECE region and highlighted the Alliance
for Global Water Adaptation as a tool to help develop best practices,
noting that the Water Convention
is a core partner of the Alliance.
VIEWS ON AND EXPECTATIONS FOR A GLOBALIZED CONVENTION:
On Wednesday afternoon, a second high-level panel debated views on and
expectations
for a globalized Convention. Mohamad Al-Shaibani, Minister of Water
Resources, Iraq, said the Convention enhances norms and standards on
joint cooperation on water and expressed its intention to accede to the
Water Convention as soon as possible. Ramesh Chandra
Sen, Minister of Water, Bangladesh, stressed equitable sharing of water
from transboundary rivers.
Moncer Rekaya, Tunisia, described a collaborative
water resources project with Tunisia and Algeria and also expressed
Tunisia’s interest in acceding to the Convention.. Seam Sujiro, France,
looked forward to the entry
into force of the amendments in 2013. He also recognized synergies
between the Water Convention and the UN Watercourses Convention, which
he said were based on similar principles.
Iraq and Tunisia expressed interest in becoming parties to the Water Convention.
Ivan Zavadsky, Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Secretariat, noted the complementarity between the GEF International
Waters Focal Area objectives and those of the Convention. He stressed
expedited ratification of the
amendments on opening of the Convention and consideration of the global
environment benefits within the “GEF 2020 Strategy” formulation and the
GEF 6th replenishment process.
Alejandro Iza, International Union for the
Conservation of Nature emphasized that the opening of the Convention
could contribute to promoting legal security. He emphasized the role of
water in adapting to climate change
and establishing a platform on mobilizing support for action.
The Ivory Coast supported the opening of the
Convention to all countries since water resources are global common
goods, and highlighted the need for assistance on water stock
assessments and quality standards.
Namibia emphasized the benefit for non-ECE
countries of accessing accumulated experience in the Convention on
dealing with disputes but stressed the need for harmonization with the
UN Watercourse Convention. Nicaragua
stressed that water is an essential common good and highlighted the
potential of using the Convention as a framework for transboundary water
cooperation with neighboring Honduras.
Jordan shared lessons learned from its bilateral
agreements with Syria and Israel. Afghanistan said climate change
represents a current and future challenge for water resources
management. Switzerland noted the synergies
between the Water and Watercourses Conventions and called for synergies
between the possible future institutional frameworks. He also
recognized growing attention to the linkages between water and security.
The EU, on behalf of its Member States, welcomed
the opening of the Convention to non-ECE countries. The European
Commission reported it has begun work on a proposal for ratification of
the amendment of the Convention.
Iran stressed the importance of capacity development at the
institutional level.
Uzbekistan said the Convention should focus its work on,
inter alia,
access to sustainable drinking water, addressing disaster impacts and
hydrological monitoring. Palestine asked how it could benefit from the
Convention in terms of capacity building
and technical assistance.
The UN Convention to Combat Desertification
(UNCCD) said opening the Convention to non-ECE countries will facilitate
synergies and lessons learned from other sectors and other conventions.
The European EcoForum stressed
implementation and synergies with other conventions.
The Regional Environmental Centre for Central and
Eastern Europe suggested further integrating water management with other
sectors, such as navigation.
The Regional Environmental Center for the Caucasus
described its role in producing national and regional roadmaps on
integrated management of transboundary river basins.
Chair Vermont summarized the session, stressing,
inter alia,
that many felt the Convention is a model for transboundary water
agreements and a catalyst for improved water legislation. She suggested
that participants take the opportunity of this
meeting to discuss what they would like to see included in a
Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on water.
This completed the high-level segment.
SIGNING
CEREMONY OF THE TREATY BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF
MOLDOVA AND THE CABINET OF MINISTERS OF UKRAINE ON COOPERATION IN THE
FIELD OF PROTECTION AND
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DNIESTER RIVER BASIN
On Thursday afternoon, Chair Vermont welcomed
participants to the signing ceremony of the Dniester River Basin Treaty
between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. She said the Treaty
illustrates that the Convention serves
as a framework for developing specific agreements and also helps
interested countries to develop such agreements. Chair Vermont said she
believes the Treaty will become a model for future basin agreements in
EECCA.
Gheorghe Salaru, Minister of Environment, the
Republic of Moldova, said the Dniester River is the ninth largest river
in Europe and provides water for 10 million people in the Republic of
Moldova and Ukraine. He hoped
the Treaty would result in environmental improvement through
sustainable use while also supporting present and future generations. He
expressed his gratitude to the UNECE, OSCE and UNEP, as well as NGOs
for their support..
Eduard Stavytskyi, Minister of Ecology and Natural
Resources, Ukraine. emphasized the importance of this bilateral
agreement, the first river basin management in the post-Soviet area, for
the populations and the hydrological
resources, and urged other countries to follow the example of Ukraine
and the Republic of Moldova. He wished the Republic of Moldova a
successful implementation of the Treaty.
Andrey Vasilyev, Deputy Executive Secretary,
UNECE, congratulated the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on what he
described as a historic event. He recognized the role of NGOs in
supporting the development of the Treaty,
stressing the openness and transparency of the process. He also
expressed gratitude to Finland and Sweden as the main donors.
Riccardo Migliori, President, of the Parliamentary
Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) said the Treaty serves as an example of good practice on
transboundary cooperation and sustainable
management, including on awareness raising.
Sweden, Azerbaijan, Germany, Finland, Austria,
Belarus, Romania, the Russian Federation, AMCOW, Afghanistan and the
Ramsar Convention congratulated the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine on
the Treaty. Finland said the Treaty
establishes many areas of cooperation, including on monitoring,
reducing climate change vulnerability and protecting aquatic ecosystems.
The Ramsar Convention stressed the importance of stakeholder
participation from the start of the process.
Azerbaijan expressed hope that Azerbaijan and
Georgia would sign a similar agreement. Belarus hoped it would sign an
agreement with Ukraine and the Russian Federation in the future. Romania
expressed its interest in exchanging
experiences with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine under its
bilateral agreements.
Chair Vermont encouraged parties and non-parties
to use the Treaty as an example of good cooperation and wished the
Republic of Moldova and Ukraine success in implementing their
obligations under the Treaty.
REVIEW OF PAST ACTIVITIES AND DISCUSSION OF FUTURE ACTIVITIES IN THE DIFFERENT AREAS OF WORK
From Wednesday afternoon to Friday afternoon, in a
general segment, delegates addressed the remaining agenda items and
agreed on decisions, as orally presented by the MOP6 Chair, at the end
of the discussion for each
item. On Friday afternoon, delegates reviewed and adopted the decisions
taken during the meeting.
MECHANISM TO SUPPORT IMPLEMENTATION AND COMPLIANCE:
This item was discussed on Thursday morning and Friday afternoon.
Thursday morning,
Attila Tanzi, Chair of the Convention’s Legal Board, Italy, presented
the mechanism to support implementation and compliance
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.4). He explained that MOP5 mandated the Legal Board
to develop a proposal on facilitating implementation and compliance.
He said the Legal Board produced a draft set of rules for the
establishment and functioning of such a body, including core rules of
procedure, so that the body could start work as soon as possible. He
described the main features of the proposal as contained
in Appendix 1 and 2 of the document, inter alia:
nature and principles of the body; membership; and the Implementation
Committee, power attributed to the Committee and its overarching
facilitative
role.
The Netherlands, the Russian Federation and
Switzerland welcomed the development of the mechanism. The EU, on behalf
of its Member States, welcomed the establishment of the Implementation
Committee to support implementation
and compliance with the Convention and said it should do so in a
non-confrontational, transparent and cooperative manner. She said
membership criteria should include personal skills and expertise, a
balance between legal and technical experience, geographical
distribution and gender balance. Switzerland said the committee should
include legal and water managers and experts and individuals with
monitoring experience.
Chair Vermont then introduced the discussion on
the election of the members of the Implementation Committee
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/INF.4), reminding delegates that there were 15
candidates for 9 members and asked delegates
to engage in bilateral discussions on membership. Azerbaijan withdrew
its candidate, preferring that he continue his work as a member of the
Bureau. Uzbekistan expressed preference for a Central Asian
representative. Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation and
Belarus each suggested a representative from their country.
Chair Vermont then introduced the discussion on a
reporting mechanism under the Convention. Austria, supported by Germany
and Luxembourg, backed reporting requirements in line with existing EU
obligations. Switzerland
supported a reporting mechanism as long as resources are available for
this activity. The Russian Federation said existing mechanisms and
formats were sufficient and cautioned that the reporting proposal could
result in duplication of work and unnecessary
expenditure.
Francesca Bernardini, UNECE, clarified that the
proposal for future work was to discuss and agree on what a reporting
mechanism would look like, noting that it should help country
implementation and not duplicate efforts.
She said the assessment focuses on status not implementation.
On Friday afternoon, Chair Vermont opened the
discussion on the election of the members of the Implementation
Committee. She thanked delegates for their goodwill in the process.
Delegates elected the following members, by
consensus: Vanya Grigorova, Bulgaria; Kari Kinnunen, Finland; Stephen
McCaffrey, the US; Aliaksander Stankevich, Belarus; and Ivan Zavadsky,
Slovakia for a full term and Johan
Gerrit Lammers, the Netherlands; Anne Schulte- Wulwer Leidig, Germany;
Attila Tanzi, Italy; and Saghit Ibatullin, Kazakstahn, for half a term.
Delegates then adopted the decision on support to implementation and
compliance.
Final Decision:In the decision, the MOP,
inter alia:
establishes the Implementation Committee with the aim to facilitate,
promote and safeguard the implementation and application of and
compliance with the Convention; and encourages
parties and non-parties to make use of the established mechanism which
is to be simple, non-confrontational, non-adversarial, transparent,
supportive and cooperative in nature, thereby facilitating the
implementation and application of and compliance with
the Convention. The MOP also decided to include an activity on
“Consideration of the need for reporting under the Convention” in the
programme of work for 2013-2015.
SUPPORT TO IMPLEMENTATION THROUGH CAPACITY-BUILDING AND ASSISTANCE ON THE GROUND:
This item was discussed on Wednesday afternoon and
Thursday morning and delegates adopted the final decision on Friday
afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon, Bo Libert, Regional Adviser, UNECE
Secretariat, presented projects on the ground and activities on
capacity-building implemented in the past three years
to support implementation of the Convention in SEE and EECCA. He
highlighted,
inter alia,
the development of agreements and cooperation frameworks, water quality
and dam safety cooperation and international water law in Central Asia.
He mentioned achievements such as the finalization
of the Dniester River Treaty, and the signing of the Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for the Drin River Basin, and challenges such as
lack of intersectoral cooperation with regard to water management. He
called on all interested participants to contribute
to future areas of work including continuation of the activities above
and implementation of the new Dniester Treaty and the MoU for the Drin
River Basin.
Uzbekistan emphasized the need for implementation
of the proposed support activities, and Kyrgyzstan expressed
satisfaction for the work of the UNECE in support of their activities.
On Thursday morning, the MOP resumed discussions
on this agenda item. Azerbaijan and Georgia described a draft bilateral
agreement on IWRM of the Kura River. The former Yugolsav Republic of
Macedonia highlighted UNECE
assistance in developing a Memorandum of Understanding and action plan
among the five countries sharing the Drin River basin.
The GEF reported that Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
have submitted letters of endorsement for a project, “Enabling
transboundary cooperation and IWRM in the Chu Talas river basin” and
said the GEF is in the process of moving
forward on this project.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on this item.
Final Decision: In the decision, the MOP,
inter alia:
decides to include capacity-building and assistance projects in the
programme of work for 2013-2015 as an integral part of programme area
“Support to implementation and accession.”
TRANSBOUNDARY GROUNDWATER: This item was discussed on Thursday morning and delegates adopted the final decision on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday morning, Chair Vermont introduced the agenda item on transboundary groundwater (ECE/MP.WAT.WG.1/2012/3-ECE/MP.WAT/WG.2/2012/3
and ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.5), saying that MOP5 recognized a need to pay
more attention to groundwater and mandated the Convention’s
Legal Board and Working Group on IWRM to prepare a preliminary study.
Attila Tanzi, Italy, presented the study, which he
described as a joint venture between water experts and lawyers. He said
the group examined the state cooperation on transboundary groundwater
in the UNECE region. On
the basis of the study’s findings, which showed general gaps in
cooperation on transboundary groundwaters, the two Convention’s bodies
had considered a range of options, from producing a draft model
agreement, a draft protocol or draft rules. He said the group
of water experts and lawyers considered a range of options, from
producing an executive report, a draft model agreement, a draft protocol
or draft rules. The group then decided to develop nine draft model
provisions on transboundary waters, each of which is
accompanied by an introduction and commentary.
Greece, Switzerland and Belarus supported the
adoption of the model provisions. Germany recognized the Convention’s
coverage of both surface water and groundwater as a strength and said
the model provisions are helpful
as a basis for more specific bilateral or multilateral discussions. The
UN Economic, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) congratulated
the UNECE for its efforts and particularly supported the integration of
aquifers and groundwater in the Convention.
The Netherlands said it was not convinced of the
necessity of rules. Attila Tanzi, Italy, responded that the study
further elaborated guidance on groundwater for the implementation of the
Convention. Chair Vermont reminded
delegates that the group had undertaken its work following a request
from the Bureau to the Legal Board and WG on IWRM, endorsed by both
bodies. Noting that the Second Assessment had noted difficulties in
assessing transboundary groundwater and locations where
agreements were missing, she said the model provisions aimed to raise
the profile of cooperation on groundwaters.
Bangladesh observed that quantifying the amount
and extent of groundwater is complex and suggested a transboundary
aquifer convention. Attila Tanzi, Italy, responded that the Convention
covers groundwater and said the
model provisions aim to provide exemplary guidance to countries
interested in negotiating specific agreements.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on groundwater.
Final Decision:
In the decision, the MOP, inter alia:
adopts the Model Provisions on Transboundary Groundwaters and their
commentary; invites Parties and non-Parties to the
Convention to use these Model Provisions when entering into or
reviewing bilateral or multilateral agreements or arrangements on
transboundary groundwaters; requests the Secretariat to publish the
Model Provisions on Transboundary Groundwaters and disseminate
them as widely as possible; and agrees to include transboundary
groundwater management in the programme of work for 2013-2015 as a
cross-cutting issue in all areas.
ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS:
This item was discussed on Thursday morning and delegates adopted the
final decision
on Friday afternoon. On Thursday morning, Lea Kauppi, Finland, Chair of
the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment, presented the main
findings of and lessons learned from the Second Assessment of
Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters in UNECE region
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/2, ECE/MP.WAT/33 and 34), launched at the Seventh
Environment for Europe ministerial conference held in Astana, Kazakhstan
in September 2011. She noted that the Second Assessment’s main
achievements are that it provides a comprehensive, up
to date overview of the status of transboundary resources in the
region, with more than 150 transboundary rivers and 25 lakes and 200
transboundary groundwaters, and that it serves to inform and stimulate
action by different actors. She emphasized the capacity
building role of the Second Assessment’s process, and the importance of
strategic partnerships, intersectoral coordination and focused
information collection. She urged participants to make use of the
Assessment.
Francesca Bernardini, UNECE, thanked Finland and
the other donors who provided support to the Second Assessment. Germany
said the Second Assessment was an important multi-stakeholder process
and stressed that the water-
food-energy-ecosystem nexus was an ambitious but worthy programme. GWP
considered the Second Assessment as a reference document and suggested
broadening the scope of future assessments to look at other sectors
affecting the water sector.
Annukka Lipponen, UNECE, noted that a third
comprehensive assessment will only be conducted in eight to ten years,
she said that a “special edition” assessment is proposed for 2015, which
will focus on the water-food-energy-ecosystems
nexus. She outlined the next steps and timeline for the special
assessment, noting: the establishment of a task force; a call for
interested countries to suggest representative basins by end of January
2013; an expert workshop on 8-9 April 2013 to refine the
methodology; the pilot basin testing of the methodology; the basin
level assessment during 2013-2014; and synthesis and publication of the
assessment in 2015.
Germany said it hoped to actively participate in
the task force. Hungary expressed its willingness to participate in the
process and, with Sweden and others, thanked Finland, for leading the
activity. Sweden urged implementation
of the recommendations in the Assessment.
Switzerland, Finland, the Netherlands, Bangladesh,
the Russian Federation, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
and the SEI supported the thematic focus on the
water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus. Switzerland and
Sweden emphasized the need to include ecosystem services within the
nexus.
Switzerland said it will continue providing
financial assistance for the assessments. Finland said it was trying to
negotiate funding possibilities for the assessment. The Russian
Federation said experience gained in
producing the Second Assessment should be used to organize the work of
the next report. Azerbaijan called for building on existing work.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the
GWP, UNESCO, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the EAA
and Wetlands International offered to collaborate on future
assessments. WMO suggested developing
techniques to enable real time assessment of water availability in
terms of climate variability and change and linking to the global
framework for climate services. The UN Development Programme (UNDP), on
behalf of the UNDP-GEF project on Reducing Transboundary
Degradation of the Kuras Aras River Basin, encouraged collaboration
with existing transboundary projects. The International Network of Basin
Organizations (INBO) expressed interest in collaborating with the UNECE
on the creation and strengthening of international
commissions and transboundary water organization bodies.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on assessment of transboundary waters.
Final Decision:
In the decision, the MOP noted the
lessons learned from the preparation of the Second Assessment of
Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and Groundwaters and the proposals
concerning future assessments of transboundary waters under
the Convention (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/2). The MOP, inter alia:
endorses the concept of the thematic assessment with a focus on the
water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus; and decides to create a Task Force
on the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus, entrusted to prepare, in
cooperation with the Working Group on IWRM, the assessment to be
submitted to MOP7, and an analysis for scoping the third comprehensive
assessment.
JOINT MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS, INCLUDING DATA MANAGEMENT AND INFORMATION EXCHANGE:
This item was discussed
on Thursday morning and delegates adopted the final decision on Friday
afternoon. On Thursday morning, Paul Haener, International Office for
Water (OIEAU), France, presented the project “Capacity building in data
administration for assessing transboundary
water resources in the EECCA countries,” funded by the French GEF
highlighting its diagnostic component and the pilot activities in two
pilot basins, the Aral Sea and the Dniester River basins. He recommended
that future work under the project should include:
incorporating a data component in all transboundary water management
agreements and action plans; developing regional reference data sets;
supporting countries to develop their own national water information
systems; and developing training programmes on data
management.
WMO suggested taking into account the advances
being made by the Open Geospatial Consortium in data transfer formats
and hydrological feature descriptions. Tajikistan expressed its
willingness to share experiences acquired
through the project.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on this issue.
Final Decision:The
MOP: commended the OIEAU and the International Water Assessment Center
(IWAC) for the progress achieved; encouraged
the project leading organizations to share experiences and lessons
learned in the framework of the project; and thanked the French GEF for
the support provided.
WATER AND ECOSYSTEMS:
This item was discussed on Friday morning and delegates adopted the
final decision on Friday afternoon. On Friday
morning, Chair Vermont opened this item, inviting progress reports on
the pilot projects on payments for ecosystem services (PES). Armenia
reported on the process to develop fees and changes in legislation, both
based on the polluter pays principle.
The Netherlands, also on behalf of Germany, said
the Vechte River pilot project aims to develop a realistic system for
PES. Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation, highlighted awareness
raising, capacity building
and involvement of the business sector as key elements of the PES
project in his region, the results of which focused on forest and
pasture ecosystems.
Chair Vermont, reporting on a seminar on forests
and water in drylands, held in Geneva, Switzerland, in July 2011,
stressed that dryland forests support large human populations, forests
and water must be integrated at
the landscape level, and policies in these sectors should not be
developed in isolation from other policies, such as climate change.
UNCCD expressed interest in closer collaboration with the Convention on
PES and referred to ongoing work on the economics
of land degradation. FAO stressed the complexity of the relationships
between forests and water and emphasized that policies and decisions in
this area must be based on sound data and good water accounting
procedures.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on this issue.
Final Decision:
The MOP inter alia,
agrees that work on water and ecosystems should be mainstreamed across
different areas in the programme of work for 2012-2015 and be an
important
focus of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus.
WATER AND ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE IN TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS:
This item was discussed on Thursday
afternoon and delegates adopted the final decision on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday afternoon, Heide Jekel, Germany, Chair of the Working Group
on IWRM, introduced the item on lessons learned
and future work on climate change adaptation in transboundary basins
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/3). Joost Jacobus Buntsma, Co-Chair of the Task Force
on Water and Climate, the Netherlands, presented the work done in this
area since 2010, emphasizing the recognition
of the need for transboundary cooperation and of the Convention’s
provisions as a sound framework for work in climate change adaptation.
He highlighted the exchange platform, with the organization of three
international workshops and the pilot project programme,
which focuses on impact and vulnerability assessments and development
of adaptation strategies in eight river basins, as key activities for
the implementation of the “Guidance on water and adaptation to climate
change,” adopted by MOP 5 in 2009. He outlined
future work for the Convention as, inter alia:
scaling up the network of pilot basins to a global network of basins;
continuation of the platform for exchanging experiences on water and
climate
change, with a workshop planned for June 2013; and continuation of the
pilot projects.
International Sava Basin River Commission,
Lithuania, Belarus, the Republic of Moldova, Rivers Without Boundaries,
Azerbaijan, the Russian Federation, and Luxembourg shared their
experiences with the pilot projects in
the Sava, Neman, Dniester, Dauria and Rhine River Basins. INBO
supported the global platform for information sharing noting the
positive reaction on several non-ECE countries. The GWP-Mediterranean
highlighted the Water, Climate and Development Programme in
Africa and its cooperation with GEF on climate variability. WMO stated
its interest in continued collaboration with UNECE on this issue.
Switzerland informed they will replace Germany as Co-Chair of the Task
Force in the next triennium.
Sonja Koeppel, UNECE, reported on the expanded
partnership of the Convention with the UNFCCC Secretariat, in particular
in the framework of the UNFCCC Nairobi Work Programme on impacts,
vulnerability and adaptation to
climate change (NWP), and urged countries to further build on synergies
among the two conventions.
On Friday afternoon, delegates agreed on the
proposals contained in document “Lessons learned and future work on
climate change adaptation in transboundary basins” (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/3).
Final Decision:
The MOP, inter alia:
decides to include “Adapting to climate change in transboundary basins”
as one of the areas in the programme of work for 2013-2015; and
invite countries and joint bodies sharing basins worldwide to indicate
their interest in joining the programme by 31 January 2013.
EUROPEAN UNION WATER INITIATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY DIALOGUES:
This item was discussed on Thursday afternoon and delegates adopted
the final decision on Friday afternoon. On Thursday afternoon, IWRM
Working Group Chair Jekel introduced the report on implementation of the
EU Water Initiative National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) on IWRM and on
Water Supply and Sanitation (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/4).
Ana Drapa, Romania, presented on the NPDs. She said NPDs have addressed,
inter alia:
strengthening water legislation; drinking water quality; transboundary
water cooperation; adaptation to climate change; and the economic and
financial dimension of IWRM. She said NPDs
on water supply and sanitation aim to incorporate financial realism in
water strategies and investment plans and to revise water policy prices.
Laurence Argimon-Pistre, EU Ambassador to FAO, welcomed achievements
and political commitments towards the NPDs.
She urged countries to continue their efforts on the NPDs and stressed
the EU’s commitment to collaborate in the field of water management.
Chair Jekel conveyed the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD)’s commitment to continued NPD
support.
Azerbaijan said it is incorporating IWRM into its
work, particularly in the social and industrial sectors, and plans to
draft a plan for the long-term incorporation of IWRM. Georgia said its
NPD includes components on,
inter alia,
preparing new water legislation based on IWRM principles, setting
targets in accordance with the Protocol on Water and Health, and
strengthening cooperation with Azerbaijan on water
resources management. He noted the NPDs create a platform for dialogue
among government, NGOs and private companies. Tajikistan explained it
invites participation from all interested sectors in its NPDs. He said
future work in the NPDs will address legal and
administrative frameworks and joint activities. Turkmenistan
highlighted its NPD focus on improving water legislation and water
resources management principles. The Republic of Moldova described its
NPDs, noting its efforts on,
inter alia:
waste water treatment plants, strategies on adaptation of water supply
and treatment and on climate change adaptation, policies on access to
water and sanitation and implementation
of the Protocol on Water and Health.
Estonia shared its experience on river basin
management plans. Kyrgyzstan said the NPDs have become a traditional
mechanism for discussing and addressing water issues. Armenia described
its work on,
inter alia, a rural water distribution strategy, IWRM and a model of water resources affected by climate change.
The GWP emphasized the importance of synergies and
exchanging experiences. Switzerland thanked the organizations engaged
in the NPDs and congratulated countries on their achievements. Finland
prioritized the promotion
of NPDs and expressed willingness to contribute to such work in the
future. Bo Libert, UNECE Secretariat, stressed cooperation and sharing
of information to strengthen work with relevant ongoing projects and
sharing of information to strengthen future work.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted a decision on the issue.
Final Decision: The MOP,
inter alia:
reconfirms the important role of NPDs in fostering the implementation
and application of the Convention and its Protocol on Water and Health,
progressive approximation to EU legislation
and the enhancement of transboundary cooperation; and agrees to
continue with the IWRM policy dialogue process, and to include relevant
activities in the programme of work for 2013–2015.
WATER AND INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS:
This item was discussed on Friday morning and delegates adopted the
final decision on Friday afternoon.
On Friday morning, Chair Vermont introduced the agenda item on water
and industrial accidents (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/5 and ECE/CP.TEIA/2012/7).
Joint Ad Hoc Expert Group:Peter Kovacs presented the activities of the Joint Expert Group (JEG),
inter alia:
producing guiding documents on good practices and recommendations
related to pipeline safety and tailing management. He said more active
participation is needed in the JEG. He also
described the ongoing work to develop guidelines/checklist on
contingency plans and the seminar organized on the occasion of the 25th
anniversary, in November 2011 of the Sandoz chemical spill accident.
Germany appreciated the report and highlighted the Sandoz
Seminar as a good platform to exchange views.
Protocol
on Civil Liability and Compensation for Damage Caused by the
Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents on Transboundary Waters
(Civil Liability Protocol):
Sergiusz Ludwiczak, Deputy Director, Environment Division, UNECE,
presented the Civil Liability Protocol and highlighted the three-step
approach to assist countries,
particularly economies in transition, to ratify the Protocol:
improving understanding of the national legislation required to
implement the Protocol and the differences between the Protocol and
other civil liability instruments; carrying out case studies,
based on realistic potential accidents, to understand the benefits of
implementing the Protocol; identifying and recommending actions to
enable the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine to implement the Protocol.
Ludwiczak highlighted that the study carried out under the first step found,
inter alia,
that there is no substantive incompatibility between the liability
rules laid down in the Environmental Liability Directive and those set
out in the Protocol and that, although the
EU is not intending to ratify the Protocol, there is nothing that would
prevent individual EU member states from ratifying it. He finally noted
that Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
(Industrial Accidents Convention) at its last
Conference of the Parties in November 2012, decided to take note of the
study and to continue with the second step.
The EU stated it is not in a position to ratify
the Protocol as some complex issues still need to be addressed, but that
it will revisit the issue in the context of the upcoming review of the
Environmental Liability Directive.
She suggested that MOP6 decision language on the Water Convention
Programme of Work be aligned to the decision on the Protocol taken by
the Industrial Accidents Convention COP. Greece expressed appreciation
for the conclusions of the study.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted decisions on water and industrial accidents.
Final Decision:
On the JEG, the MOP, inter alia:
agrees that the draft guidelines/checklist for contingency planning
developed by the JEG should be presented to the IWRM Working
Group at its next meeting in September 2013. On the Civil Liability
Protocol, the MOP: agreed to continue with the second step, subject to
availability of funds; and requests countries to express their interest
in carrying out the second step, which involves
case studies on potential accidents.
OPENING OF THE CONVENTION
This item was discussed on Wednesday afternoon and
Thursday afternoon and delegates adopted the final decision on Friday
afternoon. On Wednesday afternoon, in the general segment, Chair Vermont
introduced this item (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.6;
ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.1; MOP-6/2012/INF.7; ECE/MP.WAT/14;
ECE/MP.WAT/2009/L.2; ECE/MP.WAT/29; and Information document “Report on
the International conference on Europe-Asia transboundary water
cooperation”), saying that the discussion should be based on the UN
Charter principle of sovereign equality of all UN members.
Sonja Koeppel, UNECE, presented the report on the
international conference on transboundary water cooperation in
Europe-Asia, highlighting the participation of high-level country
representatives, and lessons learned,
inter alia:
sharing experience and capacity building outside the UNECE region;
linkages with the UN Watercourses Convention; and establishing
partnerships with other organizations and governments.
Chair Vermont informed the MOP about the second
Africa-Targeted Workshop for GEF International Waters Projects, held in
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in November 2012, which focused on,
inter alia, increasing awareness and understanding of the Water Convention and its work in Africa.
GWP-Mediterranean reported on the International
Roundtable on Transboundary Water Resources Management in the Southern
Mediterranean, held from 26-27 November 2012 in Rome, Italy, saying it
successfully addressed the
linkages of the Convention with the UN Watercourses Convention and
other instruments such as the emerging convention for shared water
resources in the Arab region and the Barcelona Convention for the
Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region
of the Mediterranean. He said participants emphasized the need to
involve a wide range of stakeholders to support transboundary water
cooperation, including parliamentarians, and had expressed general
interest in the Convention and in being involved in its
activities.
Chair Vermont asked parties which had not yet
ratified the amendments to Articles 25 and 26 on the opening of the
Convention to report on their progress towards ratification. Greece
ensured that her country will ratify
the amendment by the closure of 2013. Chair Vermont informed that
Slovenia, not present at MOP6, had reported it will be able to ratify
the amendment by end of 2013 and noted interest from countries beyond
the ECE to accede to the Water Convention and participate
in its activities, including Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, Namibia, Nicaragua
and SADC.
Francesca Bernardini, UNECE, presented the draft
decision on simplifying the procedure for accession of non-ECE countries
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.6), including the informal advice by the Treaty
Section of the UN Office of
Legal Affairs (UNLOA) (MOP-6/2012/INF.7). She noted the draft decision
was prepared by the Convention Bureau, following a revision process
involving the Convention Legal Board and parties. She stated that the
draft decision addressed the need for simplification
of the approval by the MOP and the timeline for the procedure for
accession by non-ECE countries, and clarified that, with its adoption,
any future requests for accession would be considered as approved. She
highlighted the two modules regarding the timeline
for accession, namely granting a provisional party status until the
amendment enters into force for all Parties which adopted it in 2003 or
immediate accession through unanimous consent by the MOP as of February
2013, and the Treaty Section’s conclusion that
both modules are not viable but similar objectives could be reached
through other legal approaches.. She noted the Section Treaty had also
prepared a non-paper with suggested language for the draft decision to
achieve the objectives of the two modules.
The EU, on behalf of its Member States, encouraged
all parties to ratify the amendments and supported the ex-ante approval
to facilitate the opening of the Convention once the conditions for
entry into force and applicability
of the amendments are met. The Netherlands supported finding a legal
solution for the opening at this MOP. Germany requested the Secretariat
to distribute the UNLOA non-paper. An
ad hoc working group was established with a view to finding a solution for the draft decision. The group met on Wednesday evening.
On Thursday afternoon, Attila Tanzi, Chair of the Convention Legal Board, reported that the
ad hoc
group had found agreement on the draft decision, and that a revised
text would be circulated to all participants. On Friday afternoon, he
presented the revised text, explaining that the
two additional modules were not found to be politically relevant
anymore given the high rate of ratification of the amendments and their
expected entry into force for all Parties that adopted it by 2013 and
that therefore the group had decided to leave them
aside.. He stated that the agreement reached represented a victory of
politics over law, but that the paragraph containing the decision to
facilitate the accession conformed completely with legal advice.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision as amended during the meeting.
Final decision: The MOP,
inter alia:
reconfirms the conviction that the Convention is an effective
instrument beyond the ECE; acknowledges the need for a procedure for
accession by non-ECE countries not differing from
the procedure for accession by ECE countries; and expresses the
unanimous desire to enable the accession by non-ECE countries as soon as
possible.
The MOP decides: that any further request for
accession to the Convention by any member of the UN that is not member
of the UNECE is welcome, and, therefore, shall be considered as approved
by the MOP; that this approval
is subject to the entry into force of an amendment to Articles 25 and
26 for all Parties which adopted them in 2003; and that a state or
organization that becomes party to the Convention between the adoption
of this decision and the entry into force of the
amendments for all Parties which adopted them in 2003 shall be notified
of this decision and is deemed to have accepted it.
COOPERATION WITH THE PROTOCOL ON WATER AND HEALTH
This item was discussed on Thursday afternoon and
delegates adopted the final decision on Friday afternoon. On Thursday
afternoon, Kjetil Tveitan, Norway, Chairperson of the Bureau of the
Protocol on Water and Health,
reported that 25 countries have ratified the Protocol and that eight
countries have set targets, with several others in the process of
setting them. He highlighted ongoing cooperation with the Convention on,
inter alia:
target setting process; guidance on water supply and sanitation in
extreme weather events; and a guide for the focal points on how to
promote the Convention and its Protocol on Water
and Health. He outlined future areas of cooperation on the EU Water
Initiative and the NPD, quantifying the benefits of transboundary
cooperation; climate change adaptation; and the
water-food-energy-ecosystem nexus.
MAMA-86 confirmed their commitment to the
implementation of the Convention and the Protocol and highlighted the
Protocol as an instrument for the implementation of rights to water and
sanitation. ECO-Tiras emphasized
the importance of the Dniester River Treaty to support Ukraine and the
Republic of Moldova to comply with their obligations under the Protocol.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the decision on the Protocol on Water and Health.
Final decision: The MOP decides to further strengthen cooperation between the two instruments, in particular in the areas of climate
change adaptation, the water-food-energy-ecosystem nexus and NPDs under the EU Water Initiative.
COOPERATION WITH OTHER MULTILATERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AGREEMENTS AND INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS
This item was discussed on Thursday afternoon and
delegates adopted the final decision on Friday afternoon. On Thursday
afternoon, Chair Vermont introduced the agenda item on cooperation with
other multilateral environmental
agreements (MEAs) and international partners. Alice Aureli, UNESCO,
presented UNESCO activities, noting that her organization contributed to
the First and Second Assessments on Transboundary Rivers, Lakes and
Groundwaters and used the guidelines of the Convention
for monitoring and assessment of transboundary aquifers in Latin
America. She said UNESCO is ready to place its network at the service of
the Convention and to continue to work together.
On Friday morning, participants continued
discussing cooperation. Christian Severin, the GEF, presented the GEF
International Waters portfolio, which focuses on freshwater, coastal and
marine ecosystems, foundational
activities and areas beyond national jurisdiction. He looked forward to
collaboration between UNECE and the GEF.
Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Kazakhstan and
Hungary supported cooperation with the GEF. Switzerland and Kazakhstan
said the GEF will play an important role in the globalization of the
Convention. Azerbaijan described
its cooperation with the GEF on climate change and floods and said
further cooperation was needed.
Frederico Properzi, UN-Water, described ongoing
global discussions on the post-2015 agenda and the SDGs, as they relate
to water. Noting that the MDG sanitation target only focuses on water
supply and basic sanitation,
he stressed the need to incorporate a broader view of water management
within the SDGs to address wastewater management, water security and
water-related disaster risk management. He urged participants to
contribute to the thematic discussion on water, which
UN-Water is co-organizing. He highlighted the International Year of
Water Cooperation in 2013. The GWP emphasized that this consultation
process will be unique and participatory and highlighted events as part
of the International Year of Water Cooperation.
Francesca Bernardini, UNECE, urged participants to
contribute to the development of a SDG on water, noting that the MDG on
access to water catalyzed support and action on the issue. She called
for placing water resources
management high on the UN agenda.
The Netherlands said it will organize four
technical workshops on World Water Day in 2013 on water cooperation as
it: contributes to poverty reduction and quality; creates economic
benefits; helps to preserve water resources
and to protect the environment; and build peace.
On Friday afternoon, delegates adopted the
decisions on cooperation with UNESCO (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.8), and the GEF
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.7).
Final decision:
In the decision on the GEF, the MOP:
decides to seek closer cooperation with the GEF and entrust the
secretariat and the Bureau to discuss the opportunity and possible
modalities to further strengthen and formalize the cooperation
with GEF on different levels; agrees to exchange experiences with the
GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network and the
different bodies and activities under the Convention; and invites GEF to
consider using the Convention, once it is
open to accession by all UN Member States, as a basic legal framework
for the work in the International Waters Programme.
In the decision on UNESCO, the MOP decides to:
continue and further enhance cooperation with UNESCO; invite UNESCO
International Hydrological Programme (IHP), within the framework of the
Internationally Shared Aquifers
Resources Management Programme, to consider the Convention, once it is
open for accession by all UN Member States, for its work on
transboundary groundwaters worldwide; and invite UNESCO IHP to promote
the use and implementation of the Model Provisions on
Transboundary Groundwaters.
VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WATER CONVENTION
This Item was discussed on Friday. On Friday
morning, Vice-Chair Massimo Cozzone, Italy, introduced the vision for
the future of the Convention (ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.2), noting that it aims
to ensure that parties to the
Convention move in the same direction.
Germany and Switzerland welcomed the vision. The
EU, on behalf of its Member States, presented the “Blueprint to
Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources.” He said the Blueprint recognizes a
need for improved implementation
and closer integration among disaster management, energy, transport and
water sectors.
Bangladesh asked about the promotion of joint
bodies. Germany responded that Germany and Finland plan to organize two
workshops on work of the joint bodies.
Final decision:
On Friday afternoon, the MOP adopted
the vision .The MOP also welcomed the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s
Water Resources and decided to take it into account in future activities
under the Convention.
PROGRAMME
OF WORK FOR 2013–2015, TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE BODIES ESTABLISHED TO
IMPLEMENT IT AND RESOURCES NEEDED FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
On Friday morning, Francesca Bernardini, UNECE,
presented the draft programme of work for 2013-2015
(ECE/MP.WAT/2012/L.1), explaining it is the result of a strategic
process aimed at identifying the most important challenges
and priorities for the Convention after 20 years of implementation. She
noted the programme of work includes seven programme areas, ranked in
order of priority: support to implementation and accession; European
Union Water Initiative and NPDs; quantifying
the benefits of transboundary cooperation; adapting to climate change
in transboundary basins; water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus; opening of
the Convention to countries outside the UNECE region; and promotion of
the Convention and establishment of strategic
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