Source- This post on the UN Water Convention has been created based on the article “Ivory Coast joins UN Water Convention as 10th African nation” published in “Down to Earth” in 20 July 2024.
Why in the news?
Recently, Ivory Coast joined the United Nations Water Convention, becoming the 10th African nation to do so.
About UN Water Convention
1. The UN Water Convention, also known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and entered into force in 1996.
2. It is a unique legally binding instrument that promotes the sustainable management of shared water resources, supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), prevents conflicts, and fosters peace and regional integration.
History
1. The Convention was originally negotiated as a regional framework for the pan-European region. Following an amendment procedure, all UN Member States have been able to accede to it since March 2016.
2. Chad and Senegal became the first African Parties in 2018.
3. Iraq acceded in March 2023 as the first country from the Middle East, Namibia joined in June 2023 as the first country from Southern Africa, and Panama became the first country from Latin America to join in July 2023.
4. Requirements for Parties:
i) Parties to the Convention are required to prevent, control, and reduce transboundary impacts, use transboundary waters in a reasonable and equitable way, and ensure their sustainable management.
ii) Parties that border the same transboundary waters must cooperate by entering into specific agreements and establishing joint bodies.
5) As a framework agreement, the Convention does not replace bilateral and multilateral agreements for specific basins or aquifers and instead it fosters their establishment, implementation, and further development.
6) Significance:
i) The Convention is a powerful tool to promote and operationalize the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs.
ii) The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) services the UN Water Convention.
About Ivory Coast
Ivory Coast shares eight transboundary river basins, including the Black Volta, Bia, Tanoe, Comoe, Niger, Sassandra, Cavally, and Nuon, with six of its neighbors: Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
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