The Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition is launched ! It was during the UN Groundwater Summit in Paris, France, hosted by UNESCO on 8 December 2022.

The Coalition is launched to strengthen commitment to transboundary water cooperation.

With water stress on the rise in shared river basins and aquifers, over 50 governments and organizations decide it is time to do more!

The last six months have been full of news headlines highlighting terrible floods and droughts in almost all corners of the planet and the impact they have caused, illustrating the critical nature of water to all aspects of society and our planet. With the second ever United Nations Conference on Water set to occur on 22–24 March 2023, institutions and governments from around the world have come together to form the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition. The Coalition, a multistakeholder partnership of governments, intergovernmental organizations, regional integration organizations, international financial institutions, academic institutions and civil society organizations, will work to put a focus on the critical importance of cooperating over shared water resources in a time when doing so is an imperative to ensure water security and sustainable development.

Mr. Xavier Michon, Deputy Executive Secretary, UNCDF: “Water knows no national or sectoral boundaries. We need to acknowledge this reality and strengthen multistakeholder cooperation frameworks around water resources and provide financial incentives for transboundary water cooperation and peace. This is the moment to join forces through the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition and the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is honored to be part of this important Initiative.”

Through its incredibly diverse set of members that support transboundary water cooperation on policy, governance, capacity development, technical support and finance, the Coalition aims to:

• Lift the voice of the transboundary water community in a unified manner
• Demonstrate and communicate the benefits of transboundary water cooperation, both for upstream and downstream countries and in the adaptation to new climate challenges
• Provide impetus for concrete commitments related to transboundary water cooperation
• Catalyze support to initiate, sustain and further transboundary water cooperation

The coalition will encourage concrete commitments to support the advancement of transboundary water cooperation by countries and organizations from around the world to be submitted as contributions to the Water Action Agenda, one of the main outcomes of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference.

“Finland has a long-standing experience in transboundary water cooperation and an active role in the establishment and promotion of the transboundary water cooperation agreements. Finland provides its political support for the coalition, as We see it adds value in reference to UNECE Water Convention and enables participation of civil society, academia and international finance institutions in the transboundary water cooperation affairs, with increased equality compared to UN member states. The coalition also has the potential to contribute broadly to the Water, Peace and Security agenda and to accelerate commitments towards the upcoming UN 2023 Water Conference.”- Antti Rautavaara, Finland Special Envoy for Water

The Coalition includes, among others, Finland, France, Germany, Namibia, The Netherlands, Senegal, Slovenia, Switzerland and organizations such as UNCDF, World Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF), UNECE, UNEP, UNESCO, ESCWA, International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), IUCN etc.

Additional information

The United Nations Conference on the Midterm Comprehensive Review of the Implementation of the Objectives of the International Decade for Action, “Water for Sustainable Development”, 2018–2028, or the “United Nations 2023 Water Conference" will convene in New York, from 22 to 24 March 2023, as mandated by the UN General Assembly resolutions 73/226 and 75/212. One of the interactive dialogues at the UN 2023 Water Conference will be devoted to “Water for Cooperation”, including the topics of Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, Cross Sectoral Cooperation, including Scientific Cooperation, and Water Across the 2030 Agenda. Key outcomes of the UN 2023 Water Conference will include the Water Action Agenda – a set of voluntary commitments taken by governments and stakeholders to accelerate implementation towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 6 and other water-related goals and targets.