Why in the news?

  • Bangladesh joined the UN Water Convention, making it the first South Asian Country to accede to the framework.

UN Water Convention

  • Adoption: Adopted in 1992 at Helsinki (Finland) under the framework of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and entered into force in 1996.
  • Objectives:
    • To promote sustainable management, protection, and reasonable use of transboundary rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
    • To prevent, control, and reduce transboundary impacts (e.g., pollution, overuse, ecosystem damage).
    • To foster international cooperation for equitable sharing of water resources.
  • Features:
    • Initially regional in scope (UNECE countries), but amended in 2003 to allow global accession (open to all UN member states from 2016 onward).
    • It complements the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention).
  • Key Provisions:
    • Equitable and reasonable utilization by all riparian states.
    • Prevention of transboundary harm
    • Prior notification and consultation before implementing projects likely to have transboundary impact.
    • Cooperation through joint bodies for monitoring, data exchange, and conflict resolution.
    • Public participation and access to information
    • Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) including basin-wide and ecosystem-based approaches.
  • Global Significance:
    • A legal framework for more than 150 transboundary river and lake basins globally.
    • Enhances cooperation among riparian states to prevent conflicts and promote shared benefits.
    • Helps implement SDG 6.5- “implement integrated water resources management, including transboundary cooperation”.
    • Supports climate resilience, as shared basins are critical for adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
  • India’s Stance:
    • India is not a party to the UN Water Convention.
    • Concerns relate to possible internationalization of bilateral river issues and potential constraints on India’s existing treaties like the Indus Waters Treaty. 
    • India prefers bilateral and regional arrangements for transboundary water management instead of multilateral conventions.