International Conference on Europe-Asia transboundary water cooperation

he International Conference on “Europe-Asia transboundary water cooperation” will be held from 15 to 16 December 2011 at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland.

The Conference is being organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), at the invitation of the Government of Switzerland, in the framework of the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), which is currently chaired by Switzerland.

Many transboundary river basins lie at the border between Europe and Asia and are an important source of drinking water, irrigation and hydropower. Cooperation for the sustainable use of these resources are key for the social, economic and environmental development of their riparian countries. Transboundary cooperation becomes more and more crucial in view of the expected impacts of economic development, population growth and climate change on water resources, in order to prevent conflicts between riparian countries, optimize the use of resources and ensure sustainability.

The conference will focus on the following themes:

-Legal and institutional aspects of transboundary water cooperation
-Balancing different interests and uses in transboundary basins, and the application of integrated water resources management
-Protection of ecosystem and water quality, including monitoring and data exchange
-Extreme weather events and adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins
-Prevention and response to industrial accidents.

The full programme of the conference will be made available in November 2011.