Assessments of water resources and their management

14. What are the contributions of the United Nations to water resources assessments programmes?

The Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management and the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)²² are the two main subsidiary bodies established by the Meeting of the Parties.

The focus of the work of the Working Group on IWRM is on intersectoral activities to support the implementation of a Convention with regard to the integrated management of transboundary water resources (surface waters and groundwaters).

Activities under this Working Group aim to:

• prevent, control and reduce transboundary impacts, as defined in the Convention;
• promote the ecosystem approach in the framework of integrated water resources management;
• promote equitable and reasonable utilization of transboundary waters;
• ensure conservation and, where necessary, restoration of water-related ecosystems.

Further goals are to:

• advance adaptation to climate change in the transboundary context, including flood and drought management;
• promote understanding of the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus and the reconciliation of multiple water uses in transboundary basins;
• advance the understanding of the benefits of transboundary cooperation;
• prevent accidental water pollution;
• facilitate the financing of transboundary water cooperation
• facilitate reporting under the Convention and on Sustainable Development Goal indicator 6.5.2.

The Working Group also seeks to build and strengthen the institutions responsible for the management of transboundary waters, to facilitate the work of joint bodies and to promote access to information and public participation in decision-making.

In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, the Water Convention and the Protocol on Water and Health jointly serviced by WHO-Europe and UNECE help countries by promoting the availability of safe water for all within countries and across borders and sectors.