1st Session, 21st meeting of the WG on Integrated Water Resources Management

But I don't think the microphone is working. Good morning. Can you hear my voice? Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are starting Good morning, very good morning for everyone. Ladies and gentlemen, this is my pleasure to chair the meeting with my distinguished colleague, Maria Amakali from Namibia. My name is Peter Kovacs and I'm representing also Hungary in some way. Let's start this important meeting. The working group is always discussing relevant and also very proper important issues. So we are looking forward a very working three intensive working day so we are trying to keep also the time limits as much as possible. Sorry for the slight delay with starting the meeting. We were waiting for all participants to enter into the meeting room. And It's important that we have so many representatives from many countries, which is also indicating the interest related with the Water Convention. So first of all, I would like to invite Ms. Paola Deda, Director of the Environment and Forest Division, to give us some opening remarks.

Thank you very much, Mr. Co-Chair, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. Well, it's really a great pleasure for me to be here at the 21st meeting of the Working Group on Integrated Water Resource Management under the Water Convention. I'm joining you and look forward to working with you as the new Director of the UNECE Division on Environment and Forest. New I don't know, new qualifies. After six months, I've been already in several meetings of the Water Convention, met many of you also in New York, always in the context of water meetings. But I'm still certainly in a learning phase. So bear with me if also one meeting with you ask questions or sometimes I might come up without having the background of the convention. So thank you for that. But multilateral environmental agreements actually have been very close to my heart. In fact, one of my first positions in the UN system was, and this is many, many years ago, with the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Then I moved to Bonn on another UNEP convention and eventually also did a study with UNEP on multilateral environmental agreements. So the experience taught me that one thing actually above everything else, that a convention delivers when its parties truly own it. And ownership begins with taking part. That's why I'm quite impressed with so many of you today here from more than 80 countries from all continents. The fact we are coming together in person for three days of discussion in itself is a strong demonstration of your commitment to the Water Convention and to transboundary water cooperation. I'm also pleased that we have a multilingual meeting with all the languages of the UN interpreted here. Thank you to all the interpreters that you see at the bottom of the room. A central focus of this meeting will be our contribution to the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, which will take place in Abu Dhabi in December. This will be certainly an important moment to highlight the critical role of transboundary water cooperation in addressing global water challenges and to showcase the contribution of this Convention. In this context, I look forward to our discussions on the 100 Parties Initiative initiated by Finland and Zambia in the framework of the UN Water Convention. Really special, thank you, Finland and Zambia. I was with you in New York, talking to the treaty section, and it was really an interesting experience to see the commitment of these two countries to lead this process. I'm really thankful. We are actually moving steadily in the direction of the 100 parties, so we are doing well. And this year alone, four new countries have joined the convention, Botswana, Jordan, Malawi, and Benin, bringing the total number of parties to 61. Really a warm welcome to these last four parties. Growing conventions means growing demands for work at the global level and for support with implementation on the ground. The resources to meet those demands need to be reliable. And today, the Convention's work depends largely on voluntary contributions from a limited number of donors, which makes long-term planning difficult. Less than a third of parties contribute financially, and this, of course, is not sustainable. This is why your work, the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Sustainable Financing, which meant yesterday and I mean, sorry, the work of the working group yesterday is also so important. We will hear about the outcome of its discussions in this meeting on a more sustainable and predictable financing mechanism, including mandatory contributions for possible adoption at the 11th session of the meeting of the parties in Dakar next year, 2027. I urge you all to engage constructively in these discussions. What I also really ask you is to please keep in mind this is not only a financial or a procedural discussion. It is really a discussion about the implementation of this Convention. So it's really looking at means to facilitate the success of the Convention, its delivery and implementation in all the parties and all the countries. Financing is actually only one of the topics for Dakar. At this meeting, we will also begin the wider preparations for MOP 11 and reflect together how the next programme of work can respond to the evolving needs and priorities of Parties. So, let me express particular gratitude to those financial support has made this meeting possible. So Germany, thank you. The European Union, thank you. Switzerland and Italy, thank you, as well as contributors to the Convention's Multi-Donor Trust Fund. Thank you all really for this support. And really, your support is what allows this Convention to be truly global. Water, as you know very well, doesn't respect borders, and neither can our cooperation. So the commitment that brings all of you here from different regions, countries, and institutions is what makes the Water Convention such a valuable platform for cooperation. So again, thank you for being here, for your commitment to the Water Convention. I wish you all a very productive and successful meeting. And as I mentioned, I'll be around, happy to engage with you formally, informally, whenever you wish during this days. Thank you very much and back to you, Mr. Co-chair.

Thank you very much for your encouraging word and very clear picture about the situation with the Convention. So let me shortly explain what are the main objectives of the 21st meeting of the working group during the incoming days. We would like to review the implementation of the decisions taken by the meeting of the parties back in 2024, including the implementation of the water conventions program of work for 2025 and 2027. We would like to also contribute to the preparation of the United Nations 2026 Water Conference, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in December this year, with focus on transboundary water cooperation and the Convention itself. We would like to also discuss about the progress in the Convention's global opening, which also showed a lot of encouraging results in the past. And finally, we also already started the preparations for the 11th session of the meeting of the parties, which will be held next year, 2027, between October 26, 29 in Dakar, Senegal. We also Introducing a slight change in the agenda, agenda item 11F, promoting conjunctive management of transboundary surface waters and groundwaters will be taken before the agenda item 11A. which is supporting national policy dialogues on integrated water resource management in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. So I would like to propose this change in the agenda. And also we have added one item before the end of the meeting, which is called the adoption of decisions. We would like to adopt finally all the decision for each topic of discussion. And we would like to also entrust the secretariat with the finalization of the report following the, as a practice, following of the session of the meeting of the parties. So I would like to invite all of you to adopt the agenda. with amendment, with the additional agenda item on adoption of decision. So if there is no objection, we will follow the amended agenda. And I also would like to call your attention that related with the decisions, if you have any, let's say, problem or improving any decision, please indicate it during the process, not by the end of the meeting. By the end of the meeting, we will put all the decisions on the screen as well for a final review, but we would like to avoid, let's say, a lengthy discussion by the end of the meeting. So if there is no objection, as I see, we will follow the amended agenda. So let's start with some technical announcement, as usually we are having it. So the working language for the meeting will be Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. The meeting will be broadcasted on the UN Web TV, but no intervention are possible online. Recordings of the meeting can be accessed on the UN Web TV after the meeting. All relevant documentation is available on the dedicated page of the Water Convention website, as probably you know. Everybody is requested to limit their intervention for the maximum of three minutes to ensure the timely course of the action of the meeting. Of course, presentators will have more time, and we would like to invite them to limit their intervention in 10 minutes. If countries or partners are wishing to make a statement from the floor, they should raise their flag or their nameplates as request the floor, even the statements are pre-announced the secretariat. So each time please indicate your willingness to take the floor. Full statements and presentations provided to the secretariat might be posted on the meeting webpage later. And now I closing with these technical details. Again, I like to highlight, if you have, let's say, a longer intervention, you can submit it in writing to the secretariat as well, but be concise and please keep your time limit as much as possible. I will indicate when you are over the time, if it's necessary. Now I would like to give the floor to Switzerland to announce the reception for all meeting participants which will be hosted by Switzerland on Wednesday 7th October from 6 p.m. at the delegates restaurant which is on the 8th floor in the building A. Please Switzerland.

Announcement has already been made. So we're looking forward to welcome you at the Delegates Restaurant and raise the glass to the convention. Looking forward. Thank you very much.

Yes, thank you very much for the kind invitation. So probably we will get some help to find the exact location for the reception later on. So, let's move on and we are going to item 3. And I will invite the participants to adopt the report of the sixth joint meeting of the working group, which was in Geneva, 13-15 October 2025. If there is no any request from Leflore, I can read out the proposed decision. The working group adopted the report of the sixth joint meeting of the working group on integrated water resource management and of the working group on monitoring and assessment. And you see on the screen as well the long reference of the document. So, if there is no objection, if you are happy with this proposed decision, we can move on to the next point. So, item 4, status of ratification and celebration of new accessions. I think it's always a really pleasuring part of the of the meeting to, let's say, to celebrate the new acceded countries. So I would like to first to invite Sonja Koppel, the Secretary of the Convention, to present the status of ratification of the Convention and its amendments and say a few words welcoming the new parties.

Good morning. It's a pleasure to see so many of you from different parts of the world, parties and non-parties at this meeting. And I will now present the status of accession, which you can find in information document number one to this meeting. So the Water Convention has now 61 parties, 60 countries and the European Union. In the last year, since the last meeting of the working group, which took place one year ago, four new countries have joined, namely Botswana, Jordan, Malawi, and Benin. Today we will celebrate those new accessions, particularly for Jordan, Malawi, and Benin, since Botswana unfortunately cannot be here today. And I would like to really warmly welcome those new parties to the community of parties. As you know, the globalization of the Water Convention was made possible through an amendment to Articles 25 and 26. And so currently 59 countries and the European Union have have ratified or acceded to these amendments. And it's actually very important for any countries who are in the process of accession to accede to the Water Convention as amended. As you may know, the Water Convention also has a protocol on water and health, which is jointly serviced with WHO Europe and currently open to the countries of the Pan-European region, the UNECE region. And the protocol on water and health was signed by 36 countries. and ratified by 31 countries as of today. We have welcomed Kazakhstan and Italy earlier this year. So it's great to see that also the community of parties of the Protocol on Water and Health is growing. And I think we can also give them an applause. In addition, The Water Convention, together with the Industrial Accidents Convention, has a protocol on civil liability, and that protocol is ratified so far by only one country, Hungary, and therefore not in force. In addition, 43 countries are parties to the 1997 United Nations Watercourses Convention. So it's really a pleasure to see the community of parties growing and I really look forward to discussions in the next few days and to engaging with the new parties and also those who have already been part of the community parties for a longer time. It's really nice that actually now that we are 10 years after the entry into force of the amendments that we have by now 20 countries which have joined from outside the EUNICE region, so looking forward to even more in the years to come. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I think it's a good progress what we are performing with the Convention. I remember we started from 42 members only and now we are at 61. So I think we are making a good way ahead. And I also very convinced that many of the countries who are very close to the accession also will be successful and even we can have some signatures or exceedance before the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, but we will see. So I would like to invite the representatives of the countries who have acceded to the Water Convention recently since the last meeting of the Working Party in October 2025. So namely, I would like to invite to the podium also the representative of Jordan, who acceded in February. Malawi who acceded in August, and Benin acceded in September. Unfortunately, Botswana is not present today, who also made a successful, let's say, joining to the Convention, but we will also find some time also to celebrate Botswana's accedence as well. So if the representative are ready to come to the podium, I can give them the floor for a short statement, which will be limited in five minutes. So everybody is ready, I see. So let's start with Jordan. His Excellency, Mr. Akram Saud Harashen, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Please take the floor. You have five minutes.

In the name of God.

Excellencies, distinguished delegates and colleagues of the Water Convention community, Jordan is honored stand here today with other parties being celebrated today. And on behalf of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, I thank the Secretariat, the Bureau, and the parties for this welcome and for the practical support that accompanied our accession. Water is a national priority for Jordan. We are among the most water countries, renewable sources are far below the water poverty threshold, and demand continues to rise with population growth, hosting of successive waves of refugees, and the climate that is becoming hotter and drier. Around 40% of our water resources are being shared with our neighbors, and surface waters such as Yarmouk and Jordan rivers and shared underground water, including the DC aquifer, cannot be managed by one country alone. That reality is what motivated our accession. Jordan already has bilateral arrangements on several shared waters, and those arrangements have improved access to safety, managed drinking water. We acceded because we need a wider, stable, legal, and institutional framework, one that supports equitable and reasonable use, the obligation not to cause significant harm, and cooperation that can withstand political stress. We also acceded to learn from and to contribute to a community of practicing, facing similar challenges and climate pressure. Jordan deposited its instrument of accession and became the 59th member party of the convention on the 6th of February this year. And we are glad to see participation from our region continue to grow. That process, which was led by the Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan and coordinated across the government, and it was framed explicitly to support the national water strategy for the years 23-40. and for Jordan preparation as well for the Abu Dhabi Water Conference. Our vision for implementation rests on the three main objectives of the convention. First, to prevent, control, and reduce transboundary impact on environment, human health, and socioeconomic conditions. Second, to ensure that reasonable and equitable use of shared waters, taking account the need of the present and future generations and of the specific conditions of each basin. Third, to cooperate through agreements and joint bodies so that these obligations are put into practice. These objectives align with Jordan priorities, and strengthening cooperation on shared surface water and groundwater climate resilient management that addresses the climate refugee nexus, for instance, and exchange of experience on scarcity, non-revenue water, reuse and unconventional resources, and use of conventions tools to turn scarcity from a source of tension into a basis for partnership. The convention also should reinforce the national water strategy that was mentioned before. Implementation has already begun. In Amman, recently, we had a national consultation on implementation of this convention. It was organized by the Ministry of Water, the Convention Secretariat, and participation from national institution, development partners, experts, and civil society. The consultation is shaping a national implementation roadmap rooted in Jordanian sector priorities, balanced with international cooperation and peer learning. Foreseen next steps are to identify concrete cooperative actions and to draw the Convention's program of work for the years 25-27, including capacity building and exchange of experience. And we also carry on this commitment into our conference later on next month. Jordan acceded not as a symbolic act, but also as a working choice. Cooperation over shared waters for present and future generations. We look forward to learning from parties gathered here and contributing our experience to retain. And finally, I congratulate our fellow countries that joined the convention recently. And thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much for your words and also thanks for keeping the time limit. So let's move to the next country, to Benin. I would like to ask Mr. Adonis Adjoe, Minister-Counselor, to give his remarks.

Microphone for the speaker, please. Executive Secretary, Chairman of the Convention, Madam Secretary of the Convention, distinguished representatives of States and international organizations, distinguished technical and financial partners, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. It is an honor for me to take the floor here in Geneva today on behalf of the government and people of Benin as we mark the accession of the Republic of Benin to the United Nations Convention on the Protection of Transboundary Water Resources and International Lakes, more commonly known as the Water Convention. On the 22nd of September, 2026, in New York, Benin deposited its instruments for acceding to the convention. This followed a process that began in March 2023. This event marks a milestone in terms of our water diplomacy. It reflects a very straightforward belief, which is that shared water resources require dialogue, trust and shared responsibility. Water does not know any borders. Water connects territories, it connects peoples, and it connects economies. Water supports daily life, agriculture, energy, health, and trade. When water is well managed, water can bring countries closer together and contribute to their shared prosperity. When water is weakened by pollution or drought or floods, then the consequences also know no borders. The convention offers states a framework for cooperation which is based on fundamental principles: prevention, management and reducing transboundary impacts, using water in a sound and equitable way, sharing data and organizing sustainable cooperation between riparian states. The convention thus contributes to making the relations more predictable and to better preempt risks and to bring water management closer to the choices that have a direct bearing on agriculture, the environment and energy. For Benin, our accession is of particular significance. Our country is linked to the Niger, the Volta and the Mono River basins. These are transboundary basins and we also share groundwater in the region with other countries. More than half of our country's territory is situated on transboundary water resources. So the management of these resources is directly tied to our relations with our neighboring States and the well-being of many communities. Our accession to this community therefore opens up fresh opportunities for further cooperation around coastal and land water basins, which are shared by Benin and Togo and other neighboring states. This contributes to the livelihoods of millions of people in the Gulf of Guinea, and protecting our water resources requires joint knowledge consistent exchanges and dialogue and concerted action. Ladies and gentlemen, our accession is a commitment. Now that commitment has to lead to tangible progress. Benin's ambition is to leverage this convention so as to enhance regional cooperation and improve our national water governance. We intend to step up coordination between institutions in Benin and to consolidate our data about water resources, as well as the uses of water, and to develop the sharing of information with other riparian states. We also intend to promote joint management. warning systems and the management of risks that spread beyond borders. This aims to draw on existing mechanisms around the water basins and it should also help involve the various communities and partners and researchers, and it should take into account the needs of populations, in particular those that rely directly on the water courses and shared groundwater resources. We are certain that cooperation is something that has to be built for the long term, and it requires sharing information, reliable information. It requires constant political commitment and will, and Benin stands ready to contribute to this effort in a spirit of mutual respect solidarity and shared benefits. We would like to thank the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the Secretariat of the Convention and all our partners who have supported us throughout the process that has culminated in our accession. We would also like to extend a greeting to other countries in the region who have also been striving to further develop cooperation in the field of water management. Benin would like to reaffirm that water can be a factor that brings us closer together makes us more resilient and fosters sustainable development. Our ambition is to keep this commitment alive around the relevant river basins and to help the development for our populations. We hope that this milestone marks a new stage for cooperation between riparian states and will contribute to making shared water resources in our region a source of trust and prosperity for current and future generations. I thank you.

Thank you very much. We are moving to the next country, Malawi. I'm asking Mr. Hastings Mbale, Chief Transboundary Water Resource Development Officer, Ministry of Water and Sanitation. Please take the floor.

Thank you, Chair, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen. It is a great honor and pleasure for me to be in this meeting, particularly at the moment when Malawi has acceded to the UN Water Convention. For Malawi, accession to the Convention is an important milestone in our efforts to strengthen cooperation and promote the sustainable and equitable management of the shared water resources. I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to countries from Africa and beyond, specifically Zambia, Ghana, Estonia and others that participated in Malawi's national workshop on the UN Water Convention. Your experiences, insights and encouragement were extremely valuable to us. You helped us to better understand the opportunities offered by the convention and gave us confidence that accession would strengthen Malawi efforts in transboundary water cooperation. As a new party, Malawi look forward to benefiting from the convention's platform for sharing knowledge and experience, strengthening institutional and technical capacity, improving cooperation and information exchange, and advancing the sustainable management of transboundary water resources. This is particularly important for Malawi because our water resources are closely connected to those of neighboring countries. We therefore see this cooperation as an opportunity to strengthen our existing cooperation with riparian countries. and build new partnerships for addressing common challenges including climate change, water scarcity, floods and the sustainable development of shared water resources. Malawi also looks forward to learning from other parties, contributing our own experiences and making meaningful use of tools and opportunities provided through the convention. On the personal note, I'm particularly proud to be a part of this important milestone to my country. As one of Malawi's focal person for the UN Water Convention, it's deeply satisfying to see the work and discussion that have taken place over the past years, culminating in Malawi becoming a party to the convention. Malawi, as Malawians, we are grateful to all those who supported Malawi including the secretariat throughout the journey and we look forward to working closely with the convention secretariat, fellow parties and our partners as we move from accession to implementation. Thank you once again. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much and good luck for the implementation because accession only a starting point and You have to work even harder in the future. So thank you very much for the country representatives. And I'd like to give the floor, Mr. Ales Bizak, chair of the Water Convention from Slovenia.

Thank you, Mr. Co-Chair. Dear Jordan, dear Malawi, dear Benin, and also, dear Botswana. Welcome to the Water Convention, the only community on this planet we have dedicated especially to the transboundary water cooperation. So much needed activity in terms of global, regional, and local water management. One of the core activities of the Water Convention is enlargement. of its enlargement of its partnership of the countries joined to the Water Convention. And you are today's celebration of the Water Convention. We are happy for every new party to join us as much as we are happy for your countries, of course. Let me tell you something to all of you that since 2018, since the enlargement process to the Water Convention started, so altogether 21 countries joined to the Water Convention. And only in year 2026, beside the four countries we are celebrating today, We, on our, let's say, conservative assessment, we expect four more to join the Water Convention until the UN Water Conference 2026 in Abu Dhabi. So obviously, the year 2026 is the year of accessions with the most positive trend in this activity. What I would like to tell you is that we admire the political determination, the administrative destination, and the expert self-confidence of countries you are representing to join the Water Convention, the growing family of the Water Convention to share with us the very responsible path we are taking into more sustainable water future and water security. We see you all as partners in all our activities and as ambassadors of the Water Convention in your regions and wider. We wish you a lucky and fulfilling water security and water sustainability future. And we wish you a good collaboration further on within the Water Convention. And I wish you all in this room to get even more parties on board of this Water Convention, the only one we have in this planet. because I believe strongly that our mission is very important, maybe one of the most important missions all platforms which are dealing with water currently have, because we are trying to discuss the water topics across borders, and by doing this, we are getting to the better, we are trying to get a better future for the water. We are trying to get a more secure, water secure world and in addition, we are adding to regional stability and by this also to wider stability of this world. So the family you joined has a very challenging tasks in front and we are happy that you joined us because the more we are the stronger we are thank you very much again.

Thank you Mr. chair no I would like to ask the country representatives to move closer to the flags, we would like to take some memorial photos as well. Okay, thank you very much for all of you. I think it's also very important part, this documentation of the new accession, and I hope you will enjoy later when you are retiring the pictures with your national flag and with the representative of the Convention as well. So let's move on to the agenda. And we are ending, let's say, this celebrating event now, but hopefully we will get more in the future during the next meeting of the working group as well. And I would like to invite the countries who are in process of acceding to the Water Convention to report on their progress, including in view of the 100 parties initiative. initiated by Finland and Zambia in the framework of the 2026 UN Water Conference. So please, I have a long list on my screen, but please indicate your willingness to speak up. We will note who is taking the floor and please also limit your intervention into three minutes if it's possible. So, let's see. First, I have seen Ireland and Lebanon, and I will note, let's say, the other countries as well. So, start with Ireland.

Dear Co-Chairs, Excellencies, colleagues, firstly, our congratulations to the countries that have recently joined the Convention. I'm pleased to provide an update from Ireland.

Yes, you were not very well.

Excellencies, colleagues, firstly, our congratulations to the countries that have recently joined the Convention.

I'm pleased to provide an update from Ireland on the status of ratification.

Government approval has been given for the.

Moving of a motion in Parliament approving the terms of the UN Water Convention. and subject to that parliamentary approval for accession on behalf of Ireland to the UN Water Convention. Ireland is working on these accession processes and is endeavouring to lodge accession documents with the UN ahead of the 2026 UN Water Convention to be held in December.

I thank you.

Thank you very much, Ireland. I give the floor to Lebanon, and it will be followed by Thailand.

Thank you, co-chair. Thanks for the secretariat for the Water Convention. And I would like to congratulate the countries that has acceded the convention, even that Lebanon has started in 2014, but due to the challenges that our country is facing, the procedure was very slow. Actually, for the background and overall process, since 2015, the Lebanese Republic has been examining the possibility of acceding the 1992 UNACEA Convention on the Protection and Use of the Transboundary Watercourses and International Lake, UNACEA Water Convention. The process has included high-level national consultations legal and technical assessment, and inter-ministerial consultation and exchanges with the UNICEF secretariat. Two high-level consultations were organized in Lebanon in 2015 and 2019 under the auspices of the president of the Council of Ministers, with the participation of senior representatives of relevant Lebanese institution and international and national organizations. Main steps undertaken, questions were submitted to the UNIC Secretariat to clarify legal, institutional, and practical issues relevant to the Lebanon's economic and geopolitical context. A legal and technical study was undertaken in 2017 to assess the feasibility and implication of Lebanon's accession. An interministerial consultation was initiated involving the Ministry of Energy and Water, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In early 2019, the Ministry of Energy and Water informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that it had no objection in principle to accession, subject to ensuring that accession would not create an obligation for Lebanon to conclude an agreement with Israel. The 2019 high-level consultation confirmed the positive institutional interest in accession, while recognizing that a final national decision had not yet taken, and identifying the institutional steps required for the national process. Regarding the institutional and legal consultations, following the 2019 consultation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided a positive view after consulting its legal consulting, research, and documentation center, the directorate of international organizations, conferences, and cultural relations. The consultations highlighted the potential of the convention to support Lebanon in protecting and advancing its interests concerning shared water resources. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also sought the views of the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defense, and Ministry of Environment. The Ministry of Defense expressed no objection to accession, subject to ensuring that accession doesn't create an obligation to enter an agreement with Israel. There is the legislation consultation commission reviewed specific provisions and raised questions concerning their possible implication for Lebanon, notably article one about the definition of transboundary water and the application. Article two, this is regarding 2A and 5B, responsibilities relating to prevention of pollution that might affect other riparian countries and the associated measures and costs. Article 2, paragraph 2B and 2C, possible implications for Lebanon interests concerning the use and allocation of shared waters. These issues were subsequently discussed with the Minister of Energy and Water and the UN Secretary, with the aim of clarifying their interpretation and practical implication in the Lebanese context. The environmental dimensions, the Ministry of Environment highlighted two areas requiring particular attention and requested an expert assessment, the essential role of wetlands and their ecosystems in preserving national and transboundary surface and groundwater resources, as well as their role in mitigating the impacts of climate change on the entire watershed, including the transboundary water basins. the enhancing cooperation in the field of transboundary waters, particularly in the field of applying national and international environmental standards with the aim of protecting surface and groundwater in the basin as a whole, particularly in transboundary basins, from the risk of pollution in all its forms and restoring the quantity of surface and groundwater and protecting all aquatic environments, including rivers, aquifers, wetlands, and related ecosystem. The expert assessment concluded that these issues don't constitute an obstacle to accession. Rather, they can provide an opportunity to reinforce Lebanon's environmental and integrated water resources management framework, including the objectives reflected in law number 44 in 2002. The strategic significance of accession to the Water Convention would complement rather than replace the Lebanon's existing international legal framework, including its status as a party to the UN 1997. The UN Water Convention would add a dedicated institutional framework for the transboundary water cooperation, including opportunities for technical assistance, capacity development, exchange of experience, and structures cooperation among parties. For Lebanon, this framework is particularly relevant to the sustainable and cooperative management of shared water resources and to strengthening national capacity and pollution control, climate resilience, ecosystem protection and monitoring, information exchange, and integrated basin management. The way forward, following the collection and review of the relevant institutional, legal, and technical opinion, the Ministry of Energy and Water is to prepare and submit its report to the Council of Ministers to facilitate the necessary national step towards endorsement of the convention. Further technical and procedural support from UNECE may be requested during the remaining stages of the accession process and subsequently during the implementation. Continued coordination among the Ministry of Energy and Water, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Defense and other concerned institutions remain important to ensure a coherent national position and smooth accession. Recommended key messages for international engagement. Lebanon's process towards accession is the result of longstanding national examination involving the relevant institutions. Lebanon has undertaken legal, technical, and inter-ministerial consultation and has maintained dialogue with the UNICEF secretariat. The country is advancing the required national procedures. Lebanon welcomes continued technical support from UNICEF and views the as a complementary framework that can strengthen the transboundary water cooperation, institutional capacity, and protection of our shared water resources, while respecting the nation's interest and existing international legal commitments. Sorry for being too long.

The next speaker will be Thailand and will be followed by Costa Rica. Thailand, please.

Thank you, Chair. On behalf of Thailand, I would like to thank the Secretariat and the Parties to the Water Convention for the continued engagement and support. Turning to Thailand, Thailand attaches great importance to transboundary water cooperation, particularly in the context of increasing climate variability, flood, drought, and growing pressure on shared water resources. Thailand also sees regular reporting as an important way to take stock of progress, identify remaining gaps, and support further effort to sending transboundary water cooperation. We have participated in the previous reporting round under SDG indicator 6.5.2 and most recently submitted Thailand round national report to UNECE on 30 June 2026. Thailand currently studied the water commission and to as part of our consideration of possible accession. At this stage, our focus is on developing a comprehensive understanding of the Convention, including its legal, policy, institutional and implementation implications. This requires consultation and coordinating. among relevant national agencies and stakeholders, as well as a careful consideration of how the convention related to Thailand existing national and regional water cooperation framework. Our engagement with UNECE and partner has been valuable in supporting this process, in particularly the Pan-Asia training intentional Water Law here in Bangkok provided an important opportunity for Thailand and other ASEAN countries to deepen our understanding of international water law, transboundary water governance, and practical approach to cooperation. Thailand also bring long standing experience in transboundary water cooperation, particularly within the Mekong, as well as cooperation with neighboring country on shared water resources. We therefore see value in continuing to approach the principle and mechanism of the water condition course complements and existing cooperation arrangements. Look ahead, Thailand will continue its internal study and consultation with relevant agency. We also look forward to continue technical dialogue, knowledge exchange, and experience sharing with UNECE party to the convention, neighboring country, and other country undertaking similar consideration processes. Thailand remain commit to strengthen transboundary water cooperation and contributing the constructively to regional and global effort towards sustainable climate resilience and peaceful management of shared water resources.

Please conclude.

And our party for the continued support and we look forward our continued cooperation. Thank you, Chair.

Thank you very much. As you see, the secretariat put a timer on the screen. I know if you are reading or speaking, you might not have too much attention of the time, so I will ask the neighbors of the speakers to indicate that the time is over. Thank you. So, yes, it's also a form of cooperation. So I would like to ask the representative of Costa Rica and it will be followed by Lesotho.

Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we are pleased to inform you that on the 23rd of September this year, The plenary of our Congress's legislature approved during the second reading the bill entitled Approval of Costa Rica's accession to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Water Bodies and International Lakes. This was done through the legislative file number 25024 and marked the end of the parliamentary proceedings. This adoption is the result of a legislative process, which included an approval in a first reading on the 21st of April, 2026. This was followed by a mandatory consultation before the Constitutional Chamber and the favourable outcome of this consultation through Resolution No. 2026-01-9047. This then culminated finally in the adoption of the Bill in a second reading. This major step forward is a clear expression of Costa Rica's commitment to joining an international instrument that is of tremendous relevance for the sustainable management of transboundary water resources. With this step forward, Costa Rica is coming closer to finishing the necessary internal process for formalizing accession to the Convention and strengthening its participation in international efforts geared towards promoting sustainable management of transboundary water resources in a cooperative and peaceful way. It also strengthens Costa Rica's presence as a stakeholder that is committed to meaningful multilateralism and to the pursuit of shared solutions for the common challenges we face these days, especially as regards the responsible management of natural resources and adapting to the impacts of climate change. Today, we are celebrating one more step towards consolidating our country's historic commitment to international cooperation, the protection of the environment, and the building of joint and shared solutions for the well-being of present and future generations. Thank you.

Thank you very much also, keeping the time limit very well. The next speaker will be Lesotho, will be followed by Mauritania.

Thank you, Chairperson, Excellencies, distinguished delegates. The Kingdom of Lesotho welcomes the opportunity to report on its progress towards accession of the Water Convention and outline its priorities for integrated water resources management. Lesotho has reached a key milestone in its accession to the Water Convention. Cabinet approved accession on 31 March 2026, Parliament followed in September, and the country is currently in the process of depositing the instrument of accession in the United Nations. The milestone reflects the sustained national effort to strengthen the governance of our water resources and deepen cooperation with neighboring countries. The accession process began in August 2024 when the Minister of Natural Resources submitted a letter of intent to the Convention Secretariat. An inter-ministerial committee supported by a technical working group and comprising the ministers responsible for natural resources, foreign affairs, finance and justice guided the process. National consultations were held in Maseru in May 2025, followed by regional consultations in Leribe and Mahalaliso, which are the northern and southern parts of the country. These engagements brought together government institutions, local and traditional authorities, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The stakeholders expressed broad support for accession, while emphasizing the need for stronger institutions, meaningful participation, improved water resources information, and greater technical capacity. Our priority now is to translate this progress into effective implementation. As an upstream country in the Orange-Sinko River Basin, Lesotho recognizes the close relationship between sound domestic water management and sustainable transboundary cooperation. The convention will complement our existing arrangements under the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the Sinko River Commission, and the revised SADC protocol on shared water courses. Our implementation priorities include strengthening integrated catchment management, protecting wetlands, controlling pollution and improving water quality. These efforts are essential to sustaining water resources for communities within Lesotho and users downstream. We also seek to improve the collection, analysis and exchange of water resources data, together with early warning systems for droughts and floods. Reliable information will strengthen national planning, support joint decision-making, and build confidence among riparian states. Institutional capacity remains equally important. Strengthening the offices responsible for water policy, legislative reforms, transboundary water cooperation, and maintaining stakeholder participation will help ensure that implementation delivers practical benefits. Lesotho intends to give domestic effect to the Convention through its national legal policy and institutional frameworks, building on existing legislation that is already consistent with its provisions. We will identify any further measures needed for effective implementation, strengthen institutional capacity and promote awareness of the Convention's obligations among relevant stakeholders.

We ask that our brief is -- Please conclude.

We express our appreciation of the Water Convention Secretariat, UNIS and the European Union for supporting our accession journey. Continued technical assistance, exchanges with experienced partners and support for mobilizing implementation resources will be valuable as we move forward. I thank you.

Thank you very much. The next on my list is Mauritania and will be followed by Malaysia. Please.

Thank you, Chair. Firstly, I wish to congratulate the new member states to the Convention. As you know, Mauritania embarked upon a structured process to accede to the Convention, as the Water Convention is a key international legal framework for the sustainable, equitable and peaceful management of shared water resources. We consider that this accession will allow Mauritania to bolster its international cooperation efforts, whilst benefiting from a network of expertise, shared experience at a global level. Our accession process started in October 2023. and we held in particular an international, sorry, a high level national workshop in December 2025, which had many stakeholders represented, bringing together the ministries, the basin institutions, technical financial partners, NGOs, local authorities, national experts to raise awareness about the importance of accession to the convention. This workshop was decisive for the rest of the process, this process. accelerated. First of all, we had on the 2nd of June 2026 a communication which was presented to the Council of Ministers on this subject. Then on the 20th of July 2026, our National Assembly adopted a draft law authorizing the ratification and accession of Mauritania to the Water Convention. And finally, on the 31st of July 2026, this law was promulgated by the President of the Republic. With this, we have been able since September to request that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs transmit to the UN Secretary General in New York our instrument of accession. This should be done during the month of October, and that will crown everyone's efforts, mark the end of this process well before the deadline that we had set, which was December 2026. So that was our target date to conclude the process. So I have the opportunity today to express our profound gratitude to all of those who have contributed to this excellent result. I'm thinking in particular of the secretariat team from the Water Convention. They have constantly supported us with their expertise technical know-how. All through this process, their commitment was absolutely vital to us and we sincerely thank you for all of that.

Thank you very much. The next speaker will be Malaysia, followed by Chile.

Thank you, Mr. Cochen. Distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, Malaysia congratulates the new parties that have recently acceded to the UN Water Conventions. We commend Finland and Zambia for their efforts to promote dialogue on water cooperation. Water security remains a national priority for Malaysia. Climate change, rapid urbanization, floods, and droughts highlight the need for an integrated, resilient, and forward-looking approach to water management. Participating in this meeting as an observer, Malaysia support the principle of integrated water resource management and peaceful co-operations on shared water resource. Our national policies, including river basin management plans and cross-border water arrangements, contribute to progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 6. In addition, Malaysia participates in reporting on SDG indicator 6.5.2 on transboundary water cooperation. We recognize the value of this process in identifying gaps, strengthening inter-agency coordination, and informing progress towards SDG target 6.5. Our collective priority should be to translate dialogue into practical results. Malaysia encourages stronger support for capacity building, access to appropriate technologies, and sustainable financing, particularly for developing countries. Priority areas include flood and drought preparedness, early warning systems, and climate-resilient river basin management. We welcome the opportunities for technical exchange and peer learning among Parties and non-Parties in the context of this meeting. Such exchange can support practical water management efforts taking into account national priorities and circumstances. Malaysia welcomes continued dialogue and knowledge sharing with the secretariat and international partner. As we approach the 2026 UN Water Conference, we encourage partnership that deliver tangible improvement in water security, resilience and cooperation. Thank you.

Thank you very much. The next is on my list is Chile and it will be followed by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thank you.

Distinguished representatives of the Secretariat, distinguished delegates and other participants in this working group, I'm very grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Chile and to report on our internal analysis process that our country is undertaking in order to potentially accede to the Water Convention. I'd also like to congratulate the new countries who've just succeeded. Chile has a particular interest in promoting cooperation between states as regards transboundary water resources, and we view the Convention as a good framework for this. From this perspective, Chile, whose territory is marked almost 70% by transboundary aquifers, believes it is essential to promote at the local, national, and regional levels measures that make it possible to protect and ensure the available quantity and quality of transboundary water resources and to foster their sustainable use through shared management and use. In 2025, Chile decided to launch an internal process for examining the convention and to this end we formally established a work intersectoral working group with the participation of relevant public institutions that are tasked with international relations, water resources and the environment. This involves the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment and the National to Council. The idea is to collect information with a view to accession, and we held a technical dialogue with the Secretariat of the Convention last year as well, and this made it possible to ask questions about the interpretation, implementation of the provisions of the Treaty, and also to learn from the experiences of other States in this area. We particularly value the Secretariat's availability for hearing our consultations and questions, and this has significantly contributed to our analysis. The working group is currently continuing its analysis of the Convention and it has also extended the consultations to mining and other sectors which are of particular significance in Chile to water resources too. Understanding the implications is essential for our analysis which is being done in a coordinated way between all relevant organizations on a statewide level. Finally, I'd like to say that there are a number of gaps between our domestic legislation and the Convention and we will continue to consider that and to strengthen internal coordination so as to work out when we can accede to the Convention. Thank you.

Thank you very much. So the next is Democratic Republic of Congo and will be followed by the Republic of Congo.

Chair, ladies and gentlemen, on the 15th of August 2024, the Democratic Republic of the Congo officially committed through a letter expressing interest from the Ministry of Environment Development to accede to the Water Convention. Our task that we set ourselves was to work together with the Water Convention to start the process of accession. We started with a national workshop in December 2024 with the support of the Secretariat of the Water Convention. But even before that, the process had received approval of the government at a meeting at the Council of Ministers on the 13th of September 2024, where the Ministry of the Environment was tasked with pursuing this process and to conclude it as soon as possible. Following this national workshop, for various reasons, domestic and external reasons. We conducted consultations which involved all stakeholders supporting this accession and a second workshop was organised in May 2025. And we prepared all of the ratification instruments for the DRC to accede to the water convention and these will be presented to the minister very soon to then be transferred to the parliament for adoption then they will be transmitted to the president for the relevant law to be promulgated the DRC has encountered some delays in its accession process due to different conditions but The highest level involvement of our country's authorities has been vital. They've been actively involved in this process and committed to it, and so we very much hope that the DRC will be able to accede to the Water Convention before the meeting of the Convention in Abu Dhabi. Thank you.

Thank you very much. the floor given to the Republic of Congo and will be followed by Burundi.

Thank you, Chairman and members of the Bureau. Allow me on behalf of the diplomatic cord to express on behalf of the Republic of the Congo our sincere gratitude to the secretariat of the convention for their support in the Republic of the Congo's accession process our country expressed its interest in joining the convention in December 2024 in April 2025 we received a technical expertise mission from the Secretariat, and in May we held a number of dialogue sessions about the contents and implementation of the Convention. In November 2025, in Brazzaville, we organized a national awareness raising workshop about the accession process of the Republic of the Congo to the Convention, and this was coupled with the consultative process in water. This helped consolidate the stakeholders' awareness of the process and to hash out the next administrative processes that are, or steps rather, that are required. The process has been somewhat reshuffled in terms of the timeline due to events at the ministerial level, and this required a number of administrative steps to be revisited and taken again. The establishment of the interministerial committee, which now includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs too, is completed. We are waiting for the stakeholders to meet so that they can undertake a legal analysis of the convention with a view to preparing our accession file to be submitted to the interministerial body before then submitting it to Parliament. and those are the steps that will precede the enactment of a law that will authorize the accession and ratification of the Convention by our country. Our country remains committed to joining the Convention and we intend to undertake all necessary steps in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention in the broader framework of the UN Water Convention and its meetings. Thank you.

Thank you very much. I can see two more flags. One is Burundi, and there is a State of Palestine also asking for the floor. So first, Burundi, please.

Thank you, Chair. Burundi would like to reaffirm its commitment to the principle of international cooperation for the integrated management of water resources and protection of water ecosystems. As a country that shares a number of transboundary water resources, Burundi attaches particular significance to shoring up cooperation with riparian states, in particular around the Nile River Basin and the Congo River Basin and around the lakes. In order to continue our accession process, in 2025, the Ministry for the Environment informed the presidency of our country of the accession process, and the presidency gave a favorable opinion, which means that we got the green light for starting the process. This year, the Ministry for the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock sent a request to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin the ratification instruments, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently preparing said instruments. Burundi. thus remains fully convinced that water should be viewed not just as a natural resource, but also as a source for cooperation, solidarity, and peace and development. I thank you.

Thank you very much. So the last statement from the State of Palestine.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just to remind you that the State of Palestine acceded to the Convention in 2015. We always speak about implementing and enacting the Convention through legislative frameworks and to implement it on the ground. We have a joint water committee between Palestine and the occupying power, that is Israel, and our intervention this morning is about the operational part of the work of this Joint Water Committee for the sake of implementing this convention. We joined the convention for the sake of promoting and improving the management of joint water courses and to learn from lessons from experiences all over the world. However, Unfortunately, the absence of commitment by the occupying power, which is Israel, their non-compliance is making it very difficult for us now in the state of Palestine to accede in a fair and a balanced manner to the water and water sources. That is why we are now requesting improvement of technical assistance to the State of Palestine, as well as monitoring. We welcome all monitors and observers in the occupied territory. This will definitely help us implement the Convention. Finally, we look forward to positive outcomes and recommendations that are serious in order to reiterate once again that water is a fundamental human rights that is that should be given to everyone. We reiterate our commitment to the convention and we will continue collaborating with everyone. Thank you.

Thank you very much for your statement as well and I really want to congratulate to the countries who are making a valuable progress related with the accession. I think it's also a good sign that our territorial coverage also increasing and we can also put on many topics. There is one more. Yes, Equatorial Guinea. Now I can see. Sorry for not seeing you before. Yes, sorry for that. So I give the floor to you as well.

Thank you very much for giving me the floor. It is an honor for me to take the floor on behalf of the National Council for Economic and Social Development of Equatorial Guinea in this session of the Working Group on the Integrated Management of Water Resources. I'd like to begin by congratulating the new countries who've just exceeded. And I'd like to express our gratitude to UNECE and the Secretariat of the Water Convention for having provided this space for dialogue and exchange of experience and cooperation. The National Council for Economic and Social Development of Equatorial Guinea is a consultative body that provides advice to our country's government on economic and social matters. Water is an essential resource for sustainable development, food security and the health of our populations, as well as for the protection of ecosystems and resilience in the face of climate change. Our country believes that the management of water resources should be done from a comprehensive approach and include both national development needs and the protection of ecosystems and cooperation with countries that share water resources. As an observer state to the Water Convention, Equatorial Guinea values very much the opportunity to take part in these meetings and to see firsthand the experiences and best practices in place in other countries. This is an important framework for promoting the exchange of information, cooperation, institutional capacity building, and the joint management of transboundary water resources. Equatorial Guinea shares river basins and water resources with other countries of the Central African region. Therefore, we believe it is essential to step up regional dialogue, the exchange of data and knowledge, and also technical capacities of the institutions that are in charge of water management. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe recently highlighted the importance of bolstering the cooperation around shared water resources in Central Africa, and of course, Equatorial Guinea is a member of Central Africa and the economic commission related thereto, and therefore, we are developing a new alliance for the development of Africa, and in 2019, we promoted a measure aimed at enhancing the management of water resources between Cameroon, Gabon, Congo, and Equatorial Guinea. Technical and legal institutions for the creation of these measures have thus been established. All that is still required is... coordination of the process at the intergovernmental level. Equatorial Guinea would therefore like to reaffirm its commitment to continue learning from international experiences and to explore further opportunities for cooperation that will help us enhance our water resources management. We also believe that technical capacity building and other forms of capacity building are essential so that non-states parties can adequately gauge the benefits of potentially acceding to the Convention. President, distinguished delegates, we are convinced that the challenges linked to water cannot be addressed in an isolated way. It requires cooperation, exchange of knowledge and commitment to sustainable development. In this spirit, our country welcomes the opportunity to take part in this session and we stand ready to continue dialogue with States Parties and the of our region and the Secretariat and all interested partners. Thank you very much, Chair.

Thank you very much, and sorry for overlooking your flag. So, hopefully, the progress will go on and we will see many of you ahead of your national flag on the memorial photo as a product or a final objective of your accession process. So I think we have to move on. So I would like to go on to the proposed decisions of this topic. That we put on the screen as well? Yes. So the working group welcome Benin, Botswana, Jordan, and Malawi in the community of parties to the convention. and appreciated the growing membership to the Water Convention. B, encourage countries close to accession to finalize the process as soon as possible, and ideally in advance of the UN Water Conference in December 2026. C, invited other countries to start or advance national process of accession. D, requested existing parties, technical and financial partners, and others to support countries in acceding and implementing the Convention. If there is no objection against this proposed decisions, I don't see any flag, so we can move on to the next item, which will be item 5, preparation for the United Nations 2026 Water Conference and contribution of the Convention. So, I already explained that one of the, let's say, aim of today's meeting to brief the working group on major global developments related to the water and transboundary water cooperation and with their connection related to the work of the Water Convention. So now we have two keynote speakers on the podium. The keynote speakers will say the same regarding some current challenges and trends related to transboundary water cooperation worldwide and the need to accelerate progress to achieve sustainable development goal number six. Where are those speakers? Yes. So I would like to ask Mr. Dominique Barreau chief of our hydrological monitoring and data management section of the World Meteorological Organization, who will deliver a speech regarding from the science perspective. And I also would like to call Ms. Miriam Haritz, Water Director, Federal Ministry for Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety from Germany also to deliver a similar speech from the policy perspective. So if you are here, one of you, yes, I can give the floor to you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for your attention. We're talking about water, right? And hydrology being the science of water. So I'm very pleased to provide you some insight of the recent report we published last month on the state of the global water resources report, and to see connections with what you do as water convention in a perspective of the UN conference on water. Can we go to the next slide, please? Oh, I can do that myself. Oh, great. Perfect. Thank you. So the World Meteorological Organization is a UN agency, a technical UN agency dealing with weather, climate, and water. And water must be understood as operational hydrology. So we are a technical agency providing support to all the members, to all the partners, UN and non-UN, to build, establish global, regional, national observing systems, forecast systems, modeling systems, and warning systems in those domains that we call the Earth System Approach. So really, climate water, weather, cross sphere, ocean, and this in a global overview to really to be as interoperable as possible to support all the members the best we can. We are developing standards, interoperability, guidelines, support through trainings and so on to support all the stakeholders and players in that. And One of the endeavor we have is really to establish those global observing systems in the whole domain, including fire ecology, which is new, and to make sure that all the data that are needed are shared with all the stakeholders on that WMO unified data policy. So those are the two momentums we have that are englobing the whole work we do. And then we are publishing climate reports. You probably have heard of the climate report that we're publishing for years. And for the fifth year, we are publishing the water resources report. And I'd like to show you some insight on that. So we started five years ago because we see the need, we heard the need from the countries to have an overview on what's happening with hydrology within a year in the different region at global level. So, this fifth edition confirms a little bit what we showed the next year. And it's -- yeah, sorry. So, all these results that you can see in that report are coming from all the data collected by the countries. You will see some stats later on. But that's not enough. We need in situ data. We need satellite data. And we need modeling because there are so many gaps in the data landscape that we have to use global regional models just to have a good hint on what can happen in different basins and across the regions. So it's a key to have more and more data to get there. So you see these statistics. So we started with just a few members contributing with just a few data sets. I know you see the results last year. So I mean, for this year, the result of the 2025 report, we have 68 countries participating actively in sending data to our system. Uh, it's, uh, not yet half of the country, so we still need efforts to, to, to get better there because the data will provide the quality of the result, will provide the, the, the, the trust in the result we have, so it's key to have more and more data. And you see on the right side a graph showing the number of river discharge data we collected as well, a good improvement. You see the jump from 2023 and 2024. Now it's a little bit, it's still accelerating, but not enough. So we do hope that maybe you as well as members can push your national hydro service to provide more data because that helps as well to gain visibility in all the works that is done here. So maybe on the key messages coming out of this report 2025, first, 2025, last year, was one of the driest years for the rivers globally in 35 years. So it's not good news. And you will see another graph indicating this. So we have less and less fresh water available for population, for ecosystems, for the economy. So it's really bad news. And the other bad news being that the hydrological cycle, if you see the river regimes, for instance, it's less and less predictable. There is no season. There is changes that we never saw in the past, and it's even more difficult now to use past statistics to try to understand what's going on. Those changes are quite important. And that means we need even more data, because data, that's the security showing what's happening. So any model is wrong in a way. We need them, we use them, but without data, we cannot verify what we try to indicate. So it's so key to share all the data at the global level and to make sure that all the gaps in data collections, data management, data sharing are filled with the time. And we are here to support that. The good news being that there is a lot of cooperation. And without that cooperation, multi-sectoral, there is no improvement. So that's the good sign indicating that there is some positive notes in the work week. we can do all together. But really keep in mind that changes in the water regimes that have impact on the water resources management. When you have to think of the crops to be produced in the next two months, three months, six months, and you do not know how many water will be there, it's tricky. So it's so key. And that's valid for navigation, for ecosystem management, for hydropower, for all the systems. So it's so key to have that data that can help you to understand what's happening. So that's the kind of summary of-- it's called the terrestrial water storage. It's the kind of mass balance of water, available water, fresh water in our continents. Green meaning it's above normal, normal being computed over 20, 25 years. And what is brown or orange is where water is below and much below the normal. And you see that that's almost 50%, it's 42%. It's huge. We have less and less water available in our globe. And that's really the bad news, and without Some management based on science, based on knowledge, we go nowhere. So I think you get my message. And that's a kind of average. Keep in mind, we have more and more extremes. And those extremes are more and more of high level. Extremes being drought situation, flooding situations. You hit every week, there is an accident somewhere in the world. Drought is a key because it's less seen. It's over years. In some examples, we have six, seven years in a row of drought. And in the meantime, you still have-- you still can have some flood events. So you see how complicated it can be to ensure a good water management that includes the management of those extremes for a country. So without support, without data, we simply cannot manage that. The good news being, I said, there is a lot of contributors. I'm just showing here a small map of the main contributors to that water resources report. So it's not WMO as a secretariat, it's WMO as a community. Those are the providers, so modelers, universities, and so on. It's not yet the users. So you see the number of them that are contributing year after year to the success of that, and we need that landscape of providers to be able to produce such reports. So I'm coming to my conclusions. You get it. There is a growing unpredictability of the water resources all around the world. We need data to get there. This was a message of the UN Conference of Water 2023, New York, a couple of years ago. And that must be reiterated at 2026 conference. That's my key message for that conference. We need data, we need monitoring systems, effective monitoring systems, sustainable monitoring system to get there, and then to do something with the data, starting with sharing them. And we need a partnership, and that partnership must be strengthened with all contributors. and with all the users to really to listen, to understand what are the needs coming from countries, coming from private sector, coming from academia, coming from region, coming from basin organizations, to really understand how they work, what do they need, and then to engage with them to build a system altogether. That's an absolute key. I think we have a good example between WMO and the Water Convention and UNECE. I think we have a few success. If I see only this year with last May that workshop, where's Eric? I saw Eric. You're here, okay. Organized by Eric and the whole team to think of how bringing new technology to that. And I think We see the value of having WMO as a science-based organization, as a technical organization, providing all the support that you need for taking the decisions. And the other example I'd like to use is the Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Adaptation. There is a core group led by the government of Azerbaijan, our colleagues from UNEP and the Water Convention and WMO. working together, showing the benefit of being together for providing really added value to all the countries to be there. So, WMO is providing the science, the technology, use it, while providing standards that help to gain trust in the results, that helps to be effective in all what we do in the longer term. And with it, I'm over. Many thanks to all of you.

Thank you very much. It's quite interesting what is going on on a global scale, and I think many countries are experiencing themselves the local effects of these processes as well. Like in Central Europe, we have an extremely dry period. Just in the last two months, we had for historical low water level in the Danube River. It's a historical, we never ever experienced such a low level of water. So thank you again for your presentation and we are moving to the next presentation. I give the floor to Miriam Haritz, the water director from Germany.

Thank you very much for giving me the possibility to speak to you. Dear water colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, I don't have a presentation, I have a speech. As was mentioned before, indeed, this summer in Europe has shown to us more clearly than ever before that the global water cycle is out of balance. Climate change is fueling droughts, fires, floods, and other weather extremes manifesting in water extremes. And if you may remember the map from the colleague from the WMO that was just shown, Germany is amongst those countries which have a color which we don't like, but it's a reality. The heat wave in Germany in June alone is estimated to cost the German economy 6.3 billion Euro. not counting the loss of life. And talking about rivers, the River Rhine is also at historically low levels, disrupting inland shipping and impacting freshwater ecosystem, and also affecting riparian countries. And throughout the European region, we have seen low river levels due to prolonged decrease in precipitation combined with severe heat waves, several of them. And these disrupt inland navigation and increase the pressure on freshwater ecosystems, on agriculture, on forests, and generally water availability. And it clearly shows impacts do not stop at national borders. And that means the solutions can also not stop at national borders. And that is why water cooperation is not optional. A global water cycle out of balance, a water crisis, cannot be fixed on national level alone. And there is a significant need for joint action, particularly at the river basing level, backed by multilateral cooperation. Or let me put it this way, the UN Water Convention is more important than ever. And it is also a success story in a very complex and challenging environment for both water and multilateralism alike. And all the more, congratulations also from Germany to those who form part of the convention also as of today. The UN Water Conference at the end of this year hosted by Senegal and the United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi offers a unique and timely opportunity to deliver concrete multilateral outcomes as well as accelerate progress towards SDG 6 in particularly, and the Water Convention plays an important role therein. And this is taking place at a time when the international community is discussing how to continue global cooperation on water beyond 2030 and link it more effectively to the political agendas on climate, biodiversity, and land use. Germany, together with Mexico, are co-chairing the so-called interactive dialogue, e-Water in multilateral processes. And I'm glad to see representatives of countries that are co-chairing other IDs. There are six of them altogether. Broad consultations have taken place since the first preparatory meeting that took place in Dakar in January this year. And the picture that is emerging is quite clear. There is large support of countries and stakeholders for a systematic and permanent intergovernmental UN process on water. and strengthened UN-Water is increasingly growing. Our aim is to make cooperation more coherent, avoid duplication, and help the UN system respond more effectively to countries' priorities, without reinventing the wheel, but using what we have more efficiently. Hence, we promote the idea of building a house for water together. Not from the scratch, not on an empty piece of land, but using the bricks that we already have. A regular intergovernmental process, including but not limited to recurring UN conferences dedicated to water, would provide the overarching roof. Now, this roof then rests on two outer load-bearing columns. One, negotiated political guidance documents, through which the Member States, and I stress that, set the overarching priorities and give guidance to the UN system, I stress that as well, for action on water. And the other, a strengthened UN system-wide delivery through enhanced implementation of the already existing system-wide strategy on water and sanitation. And equally important, a strengthened UN-Water as the enabler of joint delivery to provide demand-driven support on water and sanitation. And the other interactive dialogues would provide input for the pillars that further enhance the structure of our joint house. Give you some examples. It is necessary to effectively link water to other existing multilateral processes, water for planet. There is a need for enhanced cooperation and coordination amongst donors. There will be not more money on the table, we have to be realistic. but it is about using existing budgets more efficiently. Stakeholder participation is needed, and one that is well-structured and really meaningful. And that means providing not just a seat at the table every couple of years, but also a voice, and this continuously. We need improved monitoring. In the previous presentation, we've seen the necessity the relevance of gathering data and acquiring even more data. And we need improved monitoring. We need a follow-up and a review to build a basis for accelerated action and priority setting. Water for people. We need to get from commitment to tangible results. And a house needs a foundation. A follow-up UN resolution on the outcomes of the 26th conference could provide such a foundation, outlining the way forward, also in view of the SDG Summit taking place in 2027 and thereafter. The Water Convention now is both complementary to this house as well as forming part of the pillars of this House for Water. And today we will be informed later on by the co-chairs of IDD, that is Finland and Zambia, on the wonderful 100 Parties initiatives, but I leave the explanation of that, of course, to my colleagues. The Convention demonstrates how a regional instrument can become a global success, and how cooperation between countries sharing rivers, lakes, and aquifers can be fostered to the benefit of all. Our interactive dialogue, our house, provides a platform to showcase those lessons learned towards a future global water governance to strengthen links between global commitments and regional implementation. From source to sea, from local, regional and national to global and across sectors, that is a holistic approach to tackling the water crisis. Our own experience from transboundary river basin management in Germany is that cooperation supports economic, ecological and societal social development. It helps countries and stakeholders build trust, exchange information, identify shared problems and coordinate responses. A steady and coherent global process improves shared water management by providing political guidance, strengthening global commitments, supporting action, and connecting water to broader goals. It is necessary to break down the siloed approach to water, or as I've heard yesterday in a meeting, we need to de-silo water. Strengthening climate, biodiversity, health, and land use is a key to that. And the Water Convention is already very active in making sure that water has the central role it deserves, also in other, not just environmental policy fields. And in governmental and intergovernmental process, as described previously, provides a platform to bring all actors to the table, specifically including river basing organizations. Their input is essential to discuss water challenges from a regional perspective with the UN, with other member states, and other stakeholders. Discussions between the co-chairs of the different interactive dialogues, as well as UNECE, are ongoing on how exactly the Water Convention can best be fit in the House of Water, or rather the House for Water, which is an open invitation to all member states and stakeholders. to build on the results of the UN Water Conference 2023, which was the first after almost half a century, with the results of the UN Water Conference 2026, in order to go beyond and forward beyond 2013. Ladies and gentlemen, let me be clear. The global water crisis, or as it has been so poignantly termed, The global water bankruptcy is one of the most pressing and urgent concerns of our time, and it can only be solved together. Let us accelerate joint efforts across all sectors to find common solutions for water. The 2026 UN Water Conference and in particular, Interactive Dialogue E, offer an opportunity to strengthen that cooperation and build our house for water together. A follow-up UN resolution on the outcomes of the 2026 Water Conference is crucial, as I've stressed before, to outline a clear way forward, and I wholeheartedly ask for your support already now. This new approach on water, not just seeing water differently, but also doing water differently, could turn out to be a useful model for coherent and effective global cooperation on other environmental issues as well, in line with the ongoing UN80 reform process. And to give you more details as to the current state of construction, we will host a consultation session tomorrow morning, and an invitation to all of you has been sent out already. It is us, We, the member states, that are the joint architects of this future house, and we would love to hear your views on the plan so far. Once again, congratulations to the newly exceeded parties to the convention, and let us continue to join forces for a better water world. Thank you.

Thank you very much for both the presentation and the statement or the speech. I think it's leading us directly to the, let's say, to the topic of the preparation of the UN Water Conference 2026. So thank you again for the speakers. And I would like to invite the representative from the United Arab Emirates and from Senegal. Ms. Sahad Matar, from the Deputy Permanent Representative, and Mr. Bakary Fati, also from Senegal, from the podium. And also like to invite Marco Rago, Special Envoy for the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for International Water Policies of Italy. And we will have more speakers later on, but just to shake off time, I think we can start with the information from the United Arab Emirates representative about the preparation process.

Thank you. Thank you, Excellencies, and thank you so much for inviting the UAE. It is a pleasure to address the 21st meeting of the Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management. and share an update on the preparations for the 2026 UN Water Conference, which the UAE will co-host with Senegal in Abu Dhabi from 8th to the 10th of December. We thank UNECE and the Water Convention Secretariat for their continued engagement. This meeting provides a timely opportunity to bring the experience of the Convention community into conference preparations and strengthen the contribution of transboundary water cooperation to achieving SDG 6. Our ambition is to convene an inclusive, action-oriented conference that translates political commitment into practical results through partnerships, sustainable financing, innovation, and effective implementation. Partnership preparations are advancing in close coordination with our partner Senegal, UN DESA and the co-chairs of the six interactive dialogues. Important milestones have shaped this process. For example, in July 2025, Member States adopted the six dialogue themes by consensus, establishing a comprehensive framework covering water for people, prosperity, the planet, cooperation, alongside water in multilateral processes and investments in water. The high-level preparatory meeting in Dakar in January brought together member states, co-chairs, international organizations, and stakeholders. Since then, the structure's engagement with the co-chairs has continued on work plans, outreach strategies, and emerging flagship opportunities. Most recently, our engagement during the UNGA High-Level Week, together with the briefing delivered here in Geneva by His Excellency Abdulla Bel Alia, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, has provided further opportunities to mobilize participation and substantive contribution. And these engagements are helping connect the conference process with the expertise and priorities of partners across regions and across sectors. Excellencies, we reaffirm our shared commitment into making the conference a platform for meaningful outcomes. Thus, we welcome UNECE's readiness to contribute its expertise on transboundary cooperation, groundwater, financing, and investments, and the water-energy nexus. These areas are, of course, directly relevant to the working group's agenda and to the broader implementation of SDG 6. The interactive dialogue on water for cooperation in particular, co-chaired by Finland and Zambia, will offer an important opportunity to demonstrate how cooperation over shared waters supports sustainable development, resilience and confidence building. The Convention community brings practical experience in developing agreements, establishing joint bodies, exchanging information and strengthening institutions. We encourage you to bring this experience to Abu Dhabi through initiatives and partnerships that address the implementation needs. Dear colleagues, the conference itself will combine the official United Nations program with the wider stakeholder engagement. The UN accredited Blue Zone will host plenary sessions, the six interactive dialogues and the side events. Alongside it, the UAE hosted Oasis will provide an inclusive space to showcase solutions, exchange knowledge, and develop partnerships among governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia, civil society, and youth. Sustained political attention will also be essential beyond December. Together with Senegal, the UAE is advancing a proposed General Assembly resolution to establish a regular UN Water Conference process. We would welcome UNECE support for this objective, which of course seeks to strengthen continuity, stocktaking and coordination while complementing existing mandates and institutions. And of course, we look forward to all Member States' participation in such process in New York. We had also issued invitations to heads of states and governments, and we encourage participation at the highest level possible, supported by the technical expertise represented in this room. We look forward to welcoming you to Abu Dhabi and working together to translate cooperation into a lasting progress towards SDG 6, and I thank you. I also take this opportunity to apologize because I will have to step away from the podium, but my colleague Aisha is here for any questions should they be needed. Thank you.

Yes, thank you very much and thank you for the updates. And we can move on to the other host country, to Senegal. So, Bakary, please take the floor.

Thank you very much, Chair. Thank you to everyone. I'd like to thank in particular the Secretariat to the Convention for giving our two countries the possibility to tell everyone about the state of progress towards preparing for the Conference. Upon a request of our colleague from the UAE, We would like to also urge you to take an active role in this conference. It will be held in Abu Dhabi. On the 8th to the 10th of the December. 2026. Co presided by Senegal and United Arab Emirates. The objective of the conference is to. speed up process towards achieving SDG 6 on water and sanitation and to bolster international cooperation in the sphere of water. Some two months before the conference, I can tell you that we are moving into an advanced operational phase. The institutional and the main parts of the program are all established and our efforts now are directed towards finalizing the program, mobilizing support from states and stakeholders to prepare the interactive dialogues and the high level segments, the selection of panelists, communication and logistics, and preparing the whole environment for the conference. For Senegal, who is co-presiding over the conference together with the United Arab Emirates, This phase is of strategic importance. It should allow us to consolidate our national and African priorities in the water domain to ensure specific financing and to make our co-presidency a real lever for progress in water and sanitation. The political preparation of the conference is well advanced, the institutional framework is stable and the main parts of the program have been defined. The six interactive dialogues are the heart of the work of the conference and so the co-presidents are currently working together with the different parties to define the key messages and the expected results. Ladies and gentlemen, the high level meeting organized in Dakar this year was an important stage in the preparatory work for this conference. It mobilized political will and presented the main guidelines for us as we prepare for the conference. The main objective for Senegal now is to ensure that member states are actively involved and to make sure that the conference can really lead to political, financial and operational commitments to ensure universal access to water and sanitation. Ladies and gentlemen, the conference program will focus on six interactive dialogues over three days. From the 8th to 10th of December 2026. There will be side events which have been selected and the results have been communicated to the different partner organizations. As well as the side events, the co-presidents intend to organize several high level events on the link between water and peace, urban resilience and infrastructure, the role of the private sector, multilateral action in the water sphere after 2026, intergenerational dialogue, an exchange of knowledge and data on water and sanitation. The blue zone and Oasis. The conference will be organized in two spaces. The blue zone will be the official space for those accredited to the conference and will host the official meetings and meetings linked to intergovernmental processes. And then the OASIS is the second space, and that is being established by the UAE to mainly focus on innovative solutions and specific projects and initiatives and their implementation. This space, OASIS, should have state pavilions and stands and pavilions from different stakeholders. Ladies and gentlemen, the selection of panelists and moderators is underway, together with UNDESA. Finalization of this process should occur during October. On communication, the visual Identifiers and use of the logo have all been decided upon, and UAE has established a digital platform for the conference, which is the main source of information on the program, on participation modalities, and the different preparatory activities. The conference will be in Abu Dhabi at the National Exhibition Center on the 8th to 10th of December, as I said. The site can host a large number of participants. Over some 150,000 square meters. So it has an international conference center. Of some 7000 square meters, which can host some 6000 participants. The logistical preparations are focusing on organizing the official spaces, the pavilions, side events, bilateral meetings. And other. logistics necessary to welcome participants and high-level delegations. The participation of official delegations from Member States of the United Nations is organized through the e-registration system, which is accessible through the e-delegates portal of the United Nations. The calendar provides for the following: first of all, opening of pre-enrollment from the 1st of October 2026, closing of pre-enrollment on the 13th of November 2026, opening up registration in Abu Dhabi from the 3rd of December. We have focal points responsible for e-registration within the permanent missions and the observer missions in New York. For delegations who have not yet, who do not finalize their registration within the deadline, will then be able to register in Abu Dhabi. But all requests for registration need to be submitted by the permanent mission, observer mission in New York to allow for enough time for processing. Ladies and gentlemen, The participation of NGOs, major groups and other stakeholders is guided by resolution S/RES/78/327. Ladies and gentlemen, these organizations can sign up to 10 representatives when more registrations are requested, this will be examined on the process of first come, first served. Requests for registration are examined as they arrive and confirmation letters are then transmitted to the participants whose participation has been approved. Please do allow for at least five working days for requests to be processed. 6th of November 2026, 2359 is the deadline for state parties to register. This allows enough time for other logistics to be finalized, such as visas and travel and hotel arrangements. And Oasis signups can take place through the dedicated conference platform, which has been set up by the United Arab Emirates. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much for the information and we will continue also with some other updates of kind of preparatory meetings. First, we will start with the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum which was held in Rome just recently. So I would like to invite Mr. Marco Rago, the Special Envoy for International Water Policies of Italy. And meanwhile, I also like to ask to the podium, Ms. Angie Saleh from the UN Water, because she will follow this presentation. So the floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, Madam Chair, distinguished guests, delegates, dear colleague. It is a genuine pleasure to address this working group. Let me first thank the UNECE Secretariat and Ms. Francesca Bernardini and her team in particular for their kind invitation and for their steadfast commitment to transboundary water cooperation. Italy has been party to the convention since 1996. We have followed with great interest its transformation from a pan-European framework into a truly global instrument, open to all UN member states since 2016. Italy's approach to water diplomacy follows a similar path, from regional dialogue to the global agenda. I'm therefore glad to take up your invitation to present the outcomes of the second ministerial meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean on water and of the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum. For us, they are milestone on the road to the UN Water Conference in December and the World Water Forum in Riyadh in March, where we'll carry forward the results. On 28 September, Italy hosted at Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Rome the second ministerial meeting of the UFM on water, co-chaired by the Jordan and the European Commission. It was the first sectorial ministerial meeting of the UFM since October 2023, after a long pause in a regional political dialogue. In a region still marked by persistent tensions, the meeting showed that water can remain what it should always be, not a source of division, but a bridge between the two shores of the Mediterranean, closely linked to development, food and energy security, climate, resilience and stability of all our communities. The response of our partners was remarkable. 31, 39 delegation of 43 U.F. member country took part. Italy was represented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani, who opened the meeting, and by Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, who closed it. alongside the two co-chairs, Commissioner Jessica Roswell and Jordan's Minister of Water and Irrigation, Raed Habesat. The United Arab Emirates, co-host of the UN Water Conference, joined as a special guest through Minister Hamna **** Abdullah Al-Samhly. Sorry for Their presence gave the meeting a truly global reach and was a clear recognition of the Mediterranean as a key interlocutor on the road to the UN conference. The meeting adopted the second UFM ministerial declaration on water, which builds on the first declaration agreed in Malta in 2017, 10 years after. It sets a renewed ambition for 2030 to achieve SDG 6 and the other water-related goals in every EU FM member state, to significantly increase water resilience and to show that our regional water cooperation supports the economic, social and environmental progress of our country. The declaration will be submitted to the UN Water Conference as the contribution of the Euro-Mediterranean region. Alongside the declaration, Minister launched the Roma Initiative on Water, a innovative capacity building initiative for Mediterranean countries with particular attention to the southern shore. Too often, good policies stop at the level of declarations. The Rome Initiative aims to close the gap by strengthening the technical capacities needed to turn priorities into action, from water management and investment planning to design, financing and management of sustainable and bankable projects. Its first operational pillar is the Rome Water Investment Flagship, a three-year program funded by Italy Development Cooperation with three millions of euro. It build on a strong partnership between Siam Bari with its technical expertise and the UFM, which brings all Mediterranean countries around the same table. Through mentoring and development grants, it will help make 15 projects on water and climate resilience bankable. The ministerial was followed from 29 September to 2 October by the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, organized in Rome by the One Water Committee. Its multi-stakeholder format brought together a wide range of actors to translate political guidance into partnership and concrete projects. As Italy's special envoy for international water policies, I was honored to act as a facilitator throughout this process, working with the UFM members, the co-presidency and the secretary to build the convergence that made possible the adoption of the declaration and the launch of the Rome initiative. These events are part of a steadily growing Italian commitment to water security. Water is a priority sector of the Mattei Plan for Africa and received special attention during our G7 presidency in 2024. The same commitment guide our work with this convention. The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security has a long-standing cooperation with it in the Western Balkans, and the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation works with UNECE on transboundary basin management in Central America, Balkans, and Senegal, Mauritania, and Africa continent basin. Chair, allow me to underline what make the Rome Declaration particularly relevant for this working group. Ministers' commitment to set up integrated water resources management at all levels, including at transboundary level. They welcome the effort to advance transboundary cooperation beneficial to all riparians in accordance with applicable international law. And they explicitly invited UFM member states that are parties to the water convention or interested in exploring it to use its framework and tools for such cooperation. The declaration also placed the water, energy, food ecosystem nexus among its regional priorities, a field in which this convention has built valuable experience. Above all, it reaffirmed that water cooperation is a source of prosperity and resilience and a strong basis for building trust among countries. This is precisely the spirit this convention has promoted for more than 30 years and a topic that deserves a central place in both Abu Dhabi and Riyadh. Italy stands ready to continue working with the Secretariat and with all parties to ensure that the momentum built in Rome becomes lasting cooperation. Thank you.

Thank you very much for the update and we still have few presentations under this topic so we are moving on to the next one, the UN-Water will ask an overview of processes.

Thank you so much. Colleagues, it's quite hard to speak after all the distinguished speakers because actually I also think they've covered a lot of what I was going to cover. So I'll try to be brief and skip through the parts that will be repeating. So as you all know, UN-Water is the UN's inter-agency coordination mechanism on all water, fresh water and sanitation related issues. It is definitely important to look at the 2026 and 2028 conferences within the context of the broader global agenda. We have very important key moments that have preceded the conference and important key moments that are coming after, which we hope to use the conferences to build our collaborative and joint capacities towards those key events. We have the SDG Summit in 2027. We also have the preparations for the 2028 conference and of course the preparations for whatever global development agenda that will follow 2030. So it's really important that we use those conferences towards that end and even beyond. 2026 is indeed a landmark year for water and sanitation. The road to Abu Dhabi has been full of milestones since the beginning of the year when we started all together in Dakar with the high level preparatory meeting and all the meetings that have followed. As you all know by now, the UN Water Conference has six interactive dialogues, 12 co-chairs for those interactive dialogues, and of course, co-hosted by the UAE and Senegal, who have just spoken. The concept papers, which have been prepared by the UN system jointly and coordinated through UN Water, are now available online and that you can access them through this QR link. It is really important that you know that these concept papers are the UN's contribution as the background technical notes to each of the conferences. They bring together the expertise of the different UN agencies. A lot of them are here in the room, and of course, UNECE is one of them. leading on the different dialogues according to their capacity and expertise. Just quickly on latest developments relating to the conference preparations, we have, of course, a lot of key flagship initiatives being prepared, including the 100 Parties Initiative, but also we have a couple of system-wide, UN system-wide initiatives, one on country-level delivery and one on mainstreaming water across the three Rio which also UNECE leads on together with other agencies such as WMO, UNESCO and others. Other initiatives led by member states across each dialogue are currently being consolidated and finalized. This is really a key moment ahead of Abu Dhabi and the next milestone, we believe, is Cairo Water Week for a lot of people who will be there. the, as the, the colleague from Senegal has mentioned, uh, the side events have been, uh, now approved and, um, communicated to the organizers. Um, there are in-person, um, side events which have been announced last week. The virtual side event applications are also open until 16th of October. Only accredited organizations may lead and co-organize in the accredited zone, the blue zone. And then of course there is the oasis which our colleagues from both Senegal and UAE have mentioned where other side event applications are ongoing. We also have a pre-resolution which the UAE has shared with missions in New York last week. And actually, the first informal consultation is happening today. It is mainly about a draft resolution on holding periodical UN water conferences at regular intervals. And we look forward to how the resolution will develop in the coming weeks. For the 2028 conference, which has the modalities resolution of the 2028 conference have been adopted on the 2nd of September in New York as well. We know that the conference will be from 4 to 6 May in Dushanbe, 2028. There will be, for the first time, a negotiated outcome, which is now referred to as the Dushanbe Water Framework. Also, it's important to note the 2028 conference is the conclusion of the Water Action Decade conference. So this is the pathway for the Water Action Decade, and this marks the end of the decade. And it's also has been good to know through the modalities resolution that there will be continuity for the six interactive dialogues. The themes will be the same. The co-chairs for those dialogues will be chosen next year. Also, the president of the General Assembly is supposed to appoint two co-facilitators for the negotiated outcome during 2027. There will also be a one-day preparatory meeting for that conference in New York during 2027. The dates have not been decided yet. And the concept papers, like the ones that we have shared for the 2026 conference, are supposed to be readily available six months ahead of the conference. So around November 2027, we look forward to working with the UN system and all the partners towards developing these concept papers that will be also coordinated by UN-Water. from those from Abu Dhabi to Dushanbe, we have not a very long time, but it is really important key milestones that we can see on the screen. And we hope that you will be engaging in in those in those milestones and we definitely hope that the outcomes from Abu Dhabi would inform the 2027 negotiations with 2028 closing the water action decade ahead of the 2030 global review of the 2030 agenda. There are multiple opportunities to engage, feeding into the interactive dialogues and connecting the initiatives. bringing integrated water resource management and transboundary cooperation experience across all the interactive dialogues and not just the one dedicated to water for cooperation. There is also an open invitation for everyone to showcase their work in Abu Dhabi. It is really important that we show how we are all connected and how our work builds on each other's work. This is really also part of the consolidation that is ongoing for the key flagship initiatives so that they all build on each other and that we don't repeat or duplicate anything that is in progress. We would love to listen from you about shaping the 2028 outcome. This is a member state led process and we are really looking forward to engaging in that process. Just to say that we also hope that all of this builds upon and contributes to the delivery of the UN system wide strategy, which has been approved in 2024 and also builds on years and years of work from the UN system collaboratively together and the delivery together. Also the work on the IMI SDG 6, the Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6, which is the basis really of what we all do together to monitor SDG SDG 6 and hopefully what comes beyond SDG 6 as well. I will end here and thank you everyone and I'll be happy to address any questions you may have.

Yes, thank you. Thank you very much. I think we will have some time for questions later on. We have one more presentation. related with the topic and after I can open the floor.

Thank you. I will be very brief because most has been said by Angie. I will focus a bit more on our contribution and engagement in the conference preparations. So as already said, the preparations this year, if we look only at the year 2026, started with the high level conference in Dakar, where we were active, including through a joint side event on the water convention. We organized session on SDG 6 and on the conference preparations during the UNECE Regional Forum for Sustainable Development on 22nd of April here in Geneva. But we also contributed to other regional preparatory events, such as for the Asia-Pacific region in Dushanbe on 25th of May, organized by ESCAP, and just two weeks ago in Jordan for the ESCAP region, organized by ESCWA, sorry, ESCWA. I meant ESCWA. We contributed to the Dushanbe Water Conference and to the High Level Political Forum, where, for example, Finland organized a very successful high level breakfast on the water convention. Angie has just mentioned the preparation of the concept papers. Indeed, UNESCO, we have been designated to co-lead the informal preparatory working group for interactive dialogue, D on water for cooperation, which included the drafting of the concept paper. It has now been published just a few days ago, along with the five other concept papers for the inter-active dialogues, and you can find it on the website. In addition, we are using meetings like here now to inform about and mobilize countries and secure commitments. And as already discussed earlier today, We really would like to contribute to achieving concrete results on water and transboundary cooperation at the UN Water Conference, such as new accessions to the water conventions, such as new transboundary water cooperation agreements signed, and also to launch a few of our thematic products at the conference, such as on climate change or others. Finally, For those of you who may not yet have seen it, just to give you a quick introduction or a glimpse into this concept paper on the interactive dialogue on water for cooperation. At the outset, I would like to say that this dialogue focuses not only on transboundary cooperation, but also on scientific cooperation and on inclusive governance. So on the next slide, you can see Just a summary of the recommendations from this dialogue. Next slide, please. OK, sorry. So the first is related to the backbone of transboundary cooperation, namely the importance of legal and institutional frameworks for transboundary cooperation. So this involves, on the one hand, encouraging countries to accede to and implement UN water conventions. but also to develop basin level agreements and further implement existing ones, to integrate also cross-cutting considerations, to develop adaptable agreements, and to especially to focus also on closing the groundwater gap because cooperation on groundwater is still much less developed than on surface water, as you all know. Secondly, focus is put on the need for capacity building and improving financing, funding and financing for transboundary water cooperation. On the one hand, by better displaying the benefits of cooperation and mobilizing national finance, and on the other hand, by mobilizing international finance, including from the innovative funds, such as climate funds, blended finance, or others. Thirdly, in the informal preparatory working group, which included also a number of other UN organizations and NGOs and others. A lot of stress was also put on the topic of water diplomacy and the need to use informal cooperation as a first step for more formal cooperation, and on also embedding water into peace and mediation processes. Fourth, regarding scientific cooperation, It is recommended to close the scientific operation gap by moving from data exchange to shared knowledge systems, joint systems which now a number of basin organizations have already established, such as the Sava Basin Commissions and more basin organizations are working on this. Fifth, further advancing inclusive governance from a structural commitment to actual implementation. And that includes gender inclusive governance, also involvement of indigenous people and others. And finally, building the human and institutional capacity that cooperation requires through trainings at different levels, including professional trainings, joint capacity building initiatives, and advancing global initiatives in this regard. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. We just heard a lot of information, a lot of useful information regarding the preparation of the UN Water Conference. And as we don't have too much time, we are not starting the new point with the interactive dialogues. It will be started after the lunch break. So we have few minutes for questions related with the presentations or regarding to the process or whatever. No, there is no indication. There is one indication from the floor. I cannot read. Russian Federation. So Russian Federation, please take the floor.

Thank you very much, Chairman. We are very grateful to the representative of Germany, the and other countries, as well as the UN water mechanism and the UNECE for the information provided. With regard to the initiative for the establishment of a regular process on water resources, it is worth bearing in mind that the main practical problems linked to water require solutions primarily on the ground and at the local and regional level within States and through the development of transboundary co-operation. This is important to take into account the historic, geographical and other specificities of specific transboundary water bodies. At the international level, we would like to underscore the importance of our Convention on the Preservation and Use of Transboundary Water Resources and International Lakes as a platform for cooperation between countries. We welcome the initiative of the UN Secretariat and the efforts of Finland and Zambia aimed at attracting new parties to the Convention. For our part, we are preparing the upcoming conference in Abu Dhabi, and we hope that it will play an important role for practical cooperation as regards achieving the goals of the sustainable development agenda. And we would also like to ask Sonja Kappel. what the transboundary water cooperation coalition actually is. It was on the slides. We'd be grateful for a little bit more information about that, about that coalition. Thank you.

Thank you. And I see the flag of Egypt. Please.

Uh, thank you, Mr. Chair, I just want to provide a brief update from the perspective of Egypt as co-chair together with Japan, uh, on the preparations for interactive dialogue, sea water for the planet. When we spoke earlier in the preparatory process, our focus was on ensuring inclusive and open process, listening to Member States and stakeholders and beginning to identify practical initiatives that could translate these priorities into actions. Over the past two months, and particularly through the discussions in Stockholm and most recently in Rome, the thinking has evolved considerably. Our starting point remains simple. 2023 mobilizes the what, 2026 should increasingly focus on the how and the implementation experience generated from 2026 should help us move towards 2028 with stronger evidence, greater accountability and a clear understanding of what works. This is how we look at the flagship approach and how this could be useful. It's not intended It's not intended to replace the Water Action Agenda or to create another long list of voluntary commitments. Rather, the objective has been to identify initiatives around which partner can converge with clearer objectives, measurable results, stronger partnership, attention to financing and sustainability, and pathway for implementation beyond Abu Dhabi. Following our discussion with co-hosts and the other co-chairs in Rome, we are now looking at the different ideas across all six interactive dialogues, identifying areas for convergence and considering how they can be presented as a consolidated set of conference output and opportunities for action, rather than six separate portfolios attached to six separate dialogues. This is particularly relevant here at UNECE because water for the planet cannot be separated from water for cooperation. Many of the issues we are addressing under Dialogue C, climate resilience, flood and droughts, source to sea management, hydrological information and ecosystem resilience, don't stop at national borders. There is therefore a natural and important linkage with Interactive Dialogue D on water for cooperation, including its work on transboundary cooperation. The same principle applies across the other dialogues and initiatives may originate in one dialogue, but its implementation should not be constrained by that dialogue. This is why we have been advocating strongly against creating six separate silos. Egypt has emphasized that this process should reinforce one another rather than develop as parallel or competing tracks. This was also a key should build on what came before it and provide a stronger foundation for what come next. Later, then this month, Cairo Water Week will bring us together again and provide an important opportunity to socialize and emerging approach with member states and the stakeholders and put further, hopefully final touches on the package before Abu Dhabi. Thank you.

Yes, thank you for this statement. Sonia, I want to conclude some few sentences. To answer to the question of the Russian Federation.

Thank you. The Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition is coalition composed of a bit more than 40 countries, NGOs, international financial organizations, academia, and others, basically governmental and non-governmental actors aiming to advance transboundary water cooperation globally. Thank you.

Thank you very much. So we can close the morning session. What we have? Yes. You can see on the slide some information. So it will be in this room during the lunchtime. But now I can conclude the morning session. So we are starting our working session at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. who is interested can remain in the meeting room as well for this event. And thank you for the translation and see you in the afternoon.