UNITED NATIONS WATER CONVENTION (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Env and Eco)

Context: Ivory Coast joined the United Nations Water Convention, becoming the 10th African nation to do so.

United Nations Water Convention

• About: It is also known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.
• Adoption: Adopted in Helsinki in 1992
• Enforcement: 1996
• Legal Instrument: It is a unique, legally binding instrument that promotes sustainable management of shared water resources, the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the prevention of conflicts, and the promotion of peace and regional integration.
• History: Initially negotiated as a regional framework for the pan-European region, it became accessible to all UN Member States following an amendment procedure in March 2016.
• Recent Accessions: Chad and Senegal became the first African Parties in 2018. 

o Iraq acceded in March 2023 as the first Middle Eastern country, Namibia in June 2023 as the first Southern African country.

o Panama in July 2023 as the first Latin American country.

• Party Obligations: The convention requires Parties to prevent, control, and reduce transboundary impacts, use transboundary waters reasonably and equitably, and ensure their sustainable management.
• Cooperation Requirement: Parties sharing transboundary waters must cooperate by entering into specific agreements and establishing joint bodies.
• Framework Agreement: As a framework agreement, it does not replace bilateral and multilateral agreements for specific basins or aquifers but fosters their establishment, implementation, and further development.
• Significance: The convention is a powerful tool to promote and operationalize the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs.

  Ivory Coast

  • About: It is located on the coast of western Africa.
  • Bounded with: North by Mali and Burkina Faso, to the east by Ghana, to the south by the Gulf of Guinea, to the southwest by Liberia, and to the northwest by Guinea.