Nov 18, 2015

SIWI advocates importance of water cooperation at UNECE event in Budapest

Cooperation over shared water resources can open new opportunities for riparian states to sustainably develop their common water resources. It can also assist decision-makers and practitioners at all levels to reduce conflict and increase economic development and growth.

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This week, SIWI Director, Dr Therese Sjömander-Magnusson participated in a high-level panel that highlighted the benefits of transboundary water cooperation, building on lessons learnt from experiences in Central and Eastern Europe.

Panelists helped to illustrate how benefits assessments can support transboundary water cooperation processes, building on the Policy Guidance Note recently released by UNECE. SIWI provided significant input to the report. Other panelists included representatives from the SIWI, Global Environment Facility, Inter Governmental Agency for Development and Chinese Ministry of Water Resources.

Part of the Seventh session of the Meeting of the Parties to the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes in Budapest, the panel was convened by UNECE, Global Water Partnership, the Estonian Ministry of the Environment and the Swiss Development Cooperation Agency.

SIWI advances equitable and cooperative development in transboundary basins by developing, disseminating and promoting knowledge and tools, facilitating the sharing of experiences and relevant perspectives, promoting the formation of management frameworks, and building relevant capacity in partner organisations.