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On Wednesday, MOP7 delegates began the day with a discussion of the past and future three-year programme on assessing the benefits of transboundary water cooperation, which noted that the work had highlighted a need to bridge the gap between the water and foreign policy communities, and to mainstream water diplomacy into foreign policy. River basin management practitioners presented experiences from the Sava River Basin Commission, the Mekong River Commission and the Okavango Basin Commissions.
Delegates then heard a report from the Implementation Committee, and elected four members to the Committee – three returning members from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, and a new member from Uzbekistan.
They also discussed ‘Support to Implementation through Capacity-Building and Assistance on the Ground’, and heard a report-back on the ‘Exchange of Experience of Joint Bodies,’ which had resulted in compilation of Draft Principles for Effective Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation.
Delegates also addressed: the need for joint reporting under the Water Convention; water and industrial accidents; and the thematic assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus. On assessment of transboundary waters, they agreed to carry out preparatory work and launch preparations for a third assessment of transboundary waters from 2018.
Participants praised the achievements of the National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) taking place under the EU Water Initiative, which have become a platform for addressing a range of water-related issues. Finland announced funding of €400,000 for the NPDs in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and the EU announced funding of €23 million for the 'EU Water Initiative Plus East' programme to strengthen the water policy framework in five countries.
Five side events took place during the day, including two lunchtime events on next steps of the UN Watercourses Convention (UNWC), and nexus and water allocation in transboundary basins. |
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