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HPA Participated UNECE Virtual Workshop on designing legal frameworks for transboundary water cooperation hold on 28-29 July 2020

• 30.07.2020
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Virtual Workshop on designing legal frameworks for transboundary water cooperation hold on 28-29 July 2020

30 July 2020

 The workshop was organized under the leadership of the Government of Hungary, with the support of the secretariat of the Water Convention, hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). Funding is provided by Germany, Hungary and the Geneva Water Hub.The main objective of the Virtual Workshop was to assist countries and/or other relevant stakeholders in the design and drafting of agreements or other arrangements for transboundary water cooperation. In particular, the meeting is tailored to support the preparation of a checklist on developing legal frameworks for transboundary waters.

The workshop took stock of existing experience worldwide with drafting and design, it explored common challenges and gathered lessons learned. Some key aspects related to the drafting of legal frameworks were discussed, namely preliminary considerations and general provisions typically included in an agreement or arrangement; substantive content and procedural features; and aspects related to implementation, the institutional framework and dispute settlement

In the workshop,draft version of the Checklist on the Development of Legal Frameworks for Transboundary Water Cooperation was evaluated.

The document included the first draft of the annotated outline for the Checklist on the Development of Legal Frameworks for Transboundary Water Cooperation, as included in the Programme of work for the period 2019-2021 (ECE/MP.WAT/54/Add.1) adopted by the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (‘Water Convention’) at its eighth session (Nur-Sultan, 10-12 October 2018).

It was prepared by the Secretariat in cooperation with several partners, to support the preparation of the Virtual Workshop on designing legal frameworks for transboundary water cooperation (28-29 July 2020).

Target audience of the virtual workshop was  country representatives involved in the negotiation and drafting of legal frameworks for transboundary waters and other stakeholders working on transboundary water cooperation.

Objective and scope of the draft checklist was as follows ;

• Aimed at supporting countries in the design and drafting of agreements or other arrangements for transboundary waters, including both surface and groundwaters;
• Focus on content and drafting options rather than on the process;
• Evolvement overtime only addressed with reference to design options related to amendment, protocols, annexes, and other legal or technical procedures.

The checklist was further developed by integrating inputs received during the virtual workshop,

After the workshop developed checklist opened for consideration by the Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management and the ninth Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention in 2021. During two days about 140 participants followed  to each session of the virtual workshop 

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