Coalition launches to strengthen commitment to transboundary water cooperation
With water stress on the rise in shared river basins and aquifers, over 30 governments and organizations decide it is time to do more. SIWI is one of the proud members.
Tríplice Fronteira, where the three borders of Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil converge, separated by the Iguazú and Paraná Rivers. Image by Jan Schneckenhaus. This year’s terrible floods and droughts in almost all corners of the planet and the impact they have caused illustrate the critical importance of water to all aspects of society and our planet. With the second ever United Nations conference on Water to take place on 22–24 March 2023, governments, and institutions from around the world have come together to form the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition.
The Coalition, a multistakeholder partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional integration organizations, international financial institutions, academic institutions, and civil society organizations will work to highlight the critical importance of cooperating over shared water resources in a time when doing so is an imperative to ensure water security and sustainable development.
“SIWI welcomes any initiative advancing transboundary water cooperation – at multiple scales and across boundaries and sectors. Our organization is committed to continue providing support to diverse water diplomacy initiatives, including efforts focused on capacity development.”
Through its incredibly diverse set of members that support transboundary water cooperation on policy, governance, capacity development, technical support and finance, the Coalition aims to:
- Lift the voice of the transboundary water community in a unified manner
- Demonstrate and communicate the benefits of transboundary water cooperation, both for upstream and downstream countries and in the adaptation to new climate challenges
- Provide impetus for concrete commitments related to transboundary water cooperation
- Catalyze support to initiate, sustain and further transboundary water cooperation
The coalition will encourage concrete commitments to support the advancement of transboundary water cooperation by countries and organizations from around the world to be submitted as contributions to the Water Action Agenda, one of the main outcomes of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference.
“Improved cooperation over shared water resources is a prerequisite for development and the advancement of climate change agenda and the demands of growing population, balancing the needs of people and the environment. The World Bank Group is committed to an increased focus on cooperation around transboundary water management that will help advance peace, stability and build climate resilience. We stand ready to work jointly with our partners and support effective transboundary cooperation.”
The Coalition includes: Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Namibia, The Netherlands, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Uganda, Inter-American Development Bank, Organization of American States, World Bank, Global Environment Facility, UNECE, UNESCO, UNEP, UNDP, ESCWA, UNCDF, International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre (IGRAC), Centro Regional para la Gestión de Aguas Subteranneas de América Latina y el Caribe (CeReGAS), Global Water Partnership (GWP), IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Geneva Water Hub, EcoPeace Middle East and the University of Kinshasa.
Additional information
The United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, or the “United Nations 2023 Water Conference” will convene in New York, from 22 to 24 March 2023, as mandated by the UN General Assembly resolutions 73/226 and 75/212.
One of the interactive dialogues at the UN 2023 Water Conference will be devoted to “Water for Cooperation”, including the topics of Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation, including Scientific Cooperation, and Water Across the 2030 Agenda.
Key outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference will include the Water Action Agenda – a set of voluntary commitments taken by governments and stakeholders to accelerate implementation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and other water-related goals and targets.
