Water cooperation: diplomacy from source to sea
Managing transboundary rivers and lakesrequires cooperation and diplomacy between States, yetregion-specific differences can hamperthese efforts. A recent Water Diplomacy workshoplooked at best practices from establishedriver commissions to help inspire and share lessons to overcomechallenges.
The objective of the meeting was to discuss transboundary river management and bringtogetherbasin commission representatives, governmental agencies, international organizations andstakeholders supporting transboundary water cooperation in Central Asia, the South Caucasus,and South and Eastern Europe.It was ledby the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe() in collaboration with the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhine ().
ϲʿֱֳ presented the programmeduring a session moderatedby the and sharedsuccesses and key lessons learned from itswork infourteen basins worldwide. The key focusof BRIDGE is to promote water governance across multiple levels,involvinglocal stakeholders just as much asnational governments in cooperation mechanisms. Without aninclusive approach, water governance risks remaining a theory rather than practice.
As Alejandro Iza, Director of the ϲʿֱֳ Environmental Law Centre states "for transboundary governance to be effective on the ground, government needs agreement from water users. Water diplomacy is a process that operates under the authority of States, but which requires buy-in from multiple stakeholders, including at the level of provinces and municipalities".ϲʿֱֳ plays a key role in brokering this cooperation.
Globally, over 310 lake and river basins stretch across national borders. Around 60% of international river basins lack any type of cooperative management framework.In the OSCE area there are more than 150 river and lake basins shared by two or more States. OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger addressed the workshop viavideo message, highlighting the importance of water diplomacy and transboundary water cooperation in the OSCE region.
Bruno Georges, Secretary General of the CCNR, reflected on the historical legacy of the work that led to the establishment of the Central Commission for Navigation on the Rhineand itsimportance for building trust and dialogue.Its authority comes from agreements made at thein 1815. The member States areGermany, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, andSwitzerland.The CCNR ensures security and addressesallissues concerninginland navigation. It is the world's oldest international organization and will celebrate 100 years at its headquarters in the Palais du Rhin in Strasbourg in 2020.
The meeting representatives took part in discussions showcasing best practices and exchanging lessons learned in the common use of transboundary water resources in their respective countries. Future areas of co-operation were explored and potential partnerships discussed.
Developed by the and the, the was introduced,a research tool which measures how well countries manage transboundary water resources. It is a tool for understanding challenges and opportunities for improving transboundary water cooperation and management of shared water resources (Report:).
Vuk Žugić, coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities noted that "Water diplomacy is an effective tool to achieve a comprehensive approach to security and stability”. In Central Asia, ϲʿֱֳ is also working on fostering dialogue between riparian countries around the ,an approach enabling integrated solutions across borders.
The event was organized with financial support of the Governments of Switzerland and Liechtenstein.
For more information
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