About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Global Transboundary

1/19/2021

Interactive Online Session: Transboundary Water Agreements

In 2021, GWP and Wuhan International Water Law Academy are co-organising an interactive online series called the "Transboundary freshwater security governance train". The series of online engagements sessions will be conducted in an approach of a ‘train’ stopping at various locations in the world, with focus on topics related to transboundary freshwater security from different parts of the world. At each of the stops, a different topic from the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security will be explored. The first session is on transboundary water agreements, and it takes place on 19 January, stopping in Africa, Europe and Asia.

Please note: Prior to this online session, participants are encouraged to register to the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security, and to take a look at Module 3: International Water Law, particularly the introductory lecture for this module.

Transboundary water agreements - regional, multilateral, and bilateral – come in all shapes and sizes and can offer frameworks for the joint management of transboundary water resources. However, serious gaps remain, especially as hydrological conditions around the world are changing due to climate change. Through this interactive panel discussion, the participants are invited to quiz leading experts and practitioners on the topic. Questions will be collected in advance (through the MOOC platform) and also during the 1,5-hour-long session . Panellists will provide brief presentations and then the floor is open to questions in breakout rooms, which offers an opportunity to engage deeply with regional experts.

WHEN: Tuesday 19 January, at 9:00 (London), 10:00 (Stockholm), 12:00 (Nairobi), 16:00 (Bangkok), 17:00 (Beijing)

WHAT: The session will feature speakers with different experiences to share, discussing the following topics:

What is a transboundary water agreement and what key legal components should be noted and why are these important?

Are there examples of successful transboundary water agreements? How do the two global UN Water Conventions contribute (1997 UN Watercourses Convention and the 1992 UNECE Water Convention)? What works? What does not work and why? What lessons can be learned from practice on the ground?

How do transboundary water agreements help states to promote effective transboundary water cooperation?

Can transboundary water agreements address changing circumstances and address contemporary water-related challenges?

How are transboundary water agreements enforced? What measures for compliance?

HOW: Registration is required, please use this link.

WHO: The confirmed speakers are (additions may still occur):

Dr. Yumiko Yasuda (Event moderator), Senior Network & Transboundary Water Cooperation Specialist, GWP

Professor Patricia Wouters (Co-chair), Director, International Water Law Academy, Wuhan University

Dr. David J Devlaeminck (Co-chair), Lecturer, School of Law, Chongqing University

Dr. Bernadette Adeji, Chief Legal Officer, Water Resources Commission of Ghana

Dr. Dinara Ziganshina, Scientific-Information Centre ICWC, Uzbekistan

Péter Kovács, Water Director of Hungary, Ministry of Interior

Background: The MOOC on Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security opened in August 2020 by GWP, GEF IW:Learn, and Partners. The aim is to bring together countries that share freshwater resources – giving them the skills to cooperate so that the shared resource is managed sustainably for the benefit of each country’s population. The self-paced MOOC is available on the SDG Academy platform - it is free and open to everyone - but especially designed for professionals who manage and make decisions about transboundary waters.

Photo: Oiapoque River border between French Guiana and Brazil, by Mostphotos.com/Bhavik Jagani

Page last edited: 12/14/2020