INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON REGIONAL COOPERATION IN TRANSBOUNDARY RIVER BASINS
An International Conference on Regional Cooperation in Transboundary River Basins was held on 30 May - 1 June 2005, Dushanbe, Tajikistan under the umbrella of the Tajik Government and UN institutes.
The following figures indicate the scope of the Conference: more than 50 countries of the world, over 30 large international organizations, over 300 participants. At the exhibition, more than 40 international organizations presented their achievements in the field of water use.
Trips to the confluence of Pyanj and Vakhsh rivers as well as to the Nurek hydro power station were organized.
At the conference, two key issues were considered:
1. Strengthening the regional cooperation among the countries in Central Asia and other regions of the world for effective management of transboundary river resources, taking into account the knowledge and experience acquired by various regional and international organizations dealing with river basins.
2. Planning specific activities aimed at water resources management to implement the Actions of the International Decade “Water for Life”.
The program of the Conference included three plenary meetings, six thematic sessions, various activities, exhibitions and sightseeing tours.
You can find more about the conference on the conference website at:
www.transwaterconference2005.org
or on the portal CAWater-Info at: www.cawater-info.net/4wwf/
THE 6TH MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP FOR MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF THE PARTIES OF THE UNECE CONVENTION ON PROTECTION AND USE OF TRANSBOUNDARY WATERCOURSES AND INTERNATIONAL LAKES
The 6th Meeting of the Working Group for Monitoring and Assessment of the Parties of the UNECE Convention on Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes took place on 18-20 May 2005, Bratislava, Slovakia.
The meeting was organized by the Secretariat of the UNECE Convention on Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes and the Slovakian Hydrometeorological Institute. The meeting was sponsored by the Finnish and Slovakian Governments.
The participants in the meeting were leaders, experts, leading specialists from the governmental, non-governmental and international organizations of Azerbaijan, Hungary, Holland, Georgia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, Croatia, Czech Republic and Estonia.
On behalf of Central Asia, assistant director of SIC ICWC Y.K. Rysbekov took part in the meeting.
At the meeting, the following main issues were considered:
1. Strategies for monitoring and assessment of transboundary water resources:
1à. Discussing the Draft Strategic Guide to monitoring and assessment of transboundary water resources.
The Draft Strategic Guide prepared by the Working Group for Monitoring and Assessment (hereafter – Working Group) leaded by Finland was considered.
It was recommended to the Working Group to reduce the content of the Strategic Guide, taking into account its conceptual character, and amend in accordance with remarks and suggestions to improve it, received by the UNECE Secretariat. Apart from SIC ICWC, suggestions were made by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Kazakhstan.
The revised Draft Strategic Guide (English and Russian versions) will be sent in June 2005 to the interested parties for discussion.
1b. Technical guide for monitoring and assessment of transboundary water resources.
It was decided to revise the Guide taking into account its practical direction and existing technical guides, tools and practical examples of monitoring and assessment of transboundary water resources.
2. Pilot programs of monitoring and assessment of transboundary water resources:
2à. Pilot projects for transboundary rivers.
Implementing pilot projects for transboundary rivers was recognized more “advanced”. Slovakia leads the activity on these subject.
The number of pilot projects being implemented decreases from Eastern Europe to Caucasus and further – to Central Asia. The Chairman of the meeting (representative of Finland) noted that funding pilot projects in whole depends on desire and readiness of countries to implement them rather than European Commission.
2b. Pilot projects for transboundary groundwater resources.
The issues of preparation and implementation of future projects for monitoring and assessment of transboundary groundwater resources were discussed. Slovakia is obliged to provide financial aid to implement the project for transboundary groundwater resources between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The project is to be launched in September 2005, but there is no information on degree of readiness of the parties to implement the project. The participants in the meeting agreed with suggestion (GWP-Kazakhstan, SIC ICWC) that implementation of the transboundary groundwater project would be more effective if the project would be executed together with national agencies, responsible for management of groundwater (hydrogeological agencies) and surface water resources (water management organs) by virtue of hydraulic interrelation of ground- and surface water resources.
It was noted that the UNECE pilot projects for transboundary groundwater resources should be coordinated with the activities of the UNESCO, FAO and International Association of Hydrogeologists within the framework of the UN Program for management of common transboundary (international) groundwater aquifer basins.
This issue was also discussed at the 15 workshop of the task group for groundwater of the Working Group.
2ñ. Pilot projects for transboundary (international) lakes.
It was noted that terms of funding international lake projects being implemented were coming to the end. the Chairman of the meeting called countries having transboundary lakes to give suggestions on possibility to implement pilot projects.
3. Assessing the state of transboundary watercourses and international lakes in the UNECE region:
Çà. Possible alternatives and mechanisms for joint action.
Çb. Indicators contained in the World Water State Report.
Çñ. Work Schedule with a view to submitting final draft report to the next meeting of the Parties of the Water Convention and publishing final report by 2007.
The issues of creating a database on the state of water resources in the UNECE region, criteria of water quality assessment, possibilities of using official data or data received as a result of implementing pilot projects and other alternatives were discussed.
4. Information of the International Water Assessment Center (IWAC).
Information of IWAC was taken into account.
5. Information on the UNECE project “Capacity building for water cooperation in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia”.
The UNECE Secretariat gave information on future working meetings on this project. It was noted that funding was provided to hold the following regular meetings under the project:
- “Information supply and public participation in cooperation in the field of transboundary water resources” (Russian Federation, Saint Petersburg, 8-10 June 2005).
It was emphasized that the European Commission was informed of this subject, international donors were invited to participate in the meeting in Saint Petersburg.
- “Joint monitoring and assessment of the state of common water basins, including early warning systems” (Tbilisi, Georgia, October 2005).
6. indicators and mechanisms for submitting reports on water supply and sanitation in accordance with the Protocol on Water and Health.
It was noted that the Protocol on Water and Health is one of the most important parts of the Water Convention. In whole, the discussion came to considering the key indicators, which could be assumed as a basis for monitoring of water supply and sanitation services, and through which it would be possible to trace the situation in this field.
7. Organizational issues (plan of operation, preparation for the next meeting of the Parties of the Water Convention, elections of officers and others).
The materials of the meeting in Bratislava will be sent to its participants in June this year.
Y. Rysbekov
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