Findings from a pan- European assessment of transboundary waters under the UNECE Water Convention Dr. Annukka Lipponen Coordinator of the Assessment UNECE
About the Second Assessment Covers more than 140 rivers, 25 lakes, about 200 groundwaters and 25 Ramsar Sites and other wetlands of transboundary importance Covers pressure factors, quantity and quality status of waters, transboundary impacts, responses and future trends In 2003 the Parties to the Water Convention decided to regularly carry out regional assessments; First Assessment in 2007 Prepared at the request of the 6th Environment for Europe Ministerial conference
Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes Signed in 1992, into force in 1996 Two protocols: Water and Health, Civil Liability Main obligations under the Convention Protection of transboundary waters by preventing, controlling and reducing transboundary impacts Reasonable and equitable use of transboundary waters Obligation to cooperate through agreements and joint institutions Overall objective of sustainability Projects to support countries in negotiating agreements on transboundary waters
Status of ratification of the Convention 37 countries and the European Community Parties Countries in accession Non Parties Amended in 2003 to allow access to non-unece countries (not in force)
Approach & scope Subregional focus Extensive data collection: about 50 countries, 5 subregional workshops over >2 years National experts responsible for providing information (datasheets) River basin commissions prepared some draft assessments Security dimension mainly reflected in identified cases of environmental degradation, water scarcity, risks of accidental pollution, transboundary impacts, controversial infrastructure projects, conflicts or tense relations affecting cooperation
SE Europe Transboundary waters
South-Eastern Europe Setting Transboundary basins cover about 90 per cent of the region EU Accession process is main driver in the region => reform in the water sector; increasing harmonization Considerable progress in lawmaking but deficiencies in implementation and enforcement Uneven level of transboundary cooperation due to diverse difficulties (e.g. low political priority, finances, institutional capacity, conflicting interests)
South-Eastern Europe Main problems and pressures Agricultural pressures Impacts of economic development: hydropower (constructions on-going & planned) and tourism Pollution by insufficiently treated and/or untreated wastewater risk higher in the south, related health hazards considerable Mining: risk of potential accidents, including those caused by extreme weather events Climate change impacts: one of the most affected regions with growing scarcity
Central Asia Transboundary waters
Central Asia Setting Differences in socio-economic development & resource availability High dependence on transboundary waters but no effective regional framework for cooperation conflict between uses (hydropower generation in upstream countries and agriculture downstream) Security and stability risks Sectoral & economic interests dominate over environmental concerns
Central Asia Main problems and pressure factors Challenge: how to use water resources taking into account countries interests and ecosystem needs Weakness of the cooperation framework for the Aral Sea Basin; Afghanistan not represented Agriculture biggest consumptive water user => desertification & land degradation in Aral Sea; impacts of climate variability and change? Hydropower important and growing sector (contested projects likely to spark disputes) Safety of more than 100 large dams due to ageing and inadequate maintenance Legacy of industrial pollution of Soviet era Untreated or insufficiently treated
Cooperation on transboundary waters in Europe Watercourse related agreements Lake or specific water use agreements Bilateral agreement covering all shared waters Map: Zoï
Cooperation on transboundary waters in the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Russian Federation Watercourse related agreements Lake or specific water use agreements Bilateral agreement covering all shared waters Map: Zoï
Future of assessing transboundary waters under UNECE Water Convention Next extensive Assessment in 8-10 years A special edition within 4 years with a different scope and approach: 1) focus on a specific theme A pressure (e.g. agriculture, hydropower) A cross-cutting theme (e.g. climate change and extreme events, ecosystems and biodiversity) A response measure (e.g. river basin management plans, monitoring and assessment systems) 2) assessment limited to a representative number of basins
Concluding points Transboundary water cooperation crucial for the development and security Second Assessment to stimulate further action to improve the status of shared waters and related ecosystems by various actors A prerequisite for success of transboundary cooperation: joint bodies Stronger water and environmental governance and integration of sectoral policies needed 2003 amendments to the Water Convention into force: perspective for a global framework and for transferring lessons & good practices developed in Europe