WCC 2020 Res 015 - Progress Report

THIS REPORT COVERS THE PERIOD 2021 (September) - 2025 (May)

- Accession to the water convention since the approval of the resolution: Guinea-Bissau (June 2021), Togo (Sep 2021), Cameroon (Nov 2022), Nigeria (March 2023), Iraq (March 2023), Namibia (June 2023), Panama (July 2023), Gambia (July 2023), Cote d'Ivoire (2024), Zimbabwe (2024), Zambia (2024)
- Positive momentum regarding Water Convention. A lot of progress in Africa, esp. west Africa – Interest also in East and Southern Africa, e.g. Tanzania, Uganda and also Zimbabwe. UN Water conference in 2023 built momentum for countries. Also interest in Central and Southern America e.g. Dom Rep, Paraguay. Growing understanding from Latin American Countries that the convention is a tool that can help strengthen collaboration.
- When it comes to Water Convention implementation, there is also progress, many countries have now got implementation plans.
- Accession to the Ramsar Convention during the reporting period: Angola
- Reported at the Ramsar COP November 2022: Two additional Transboundary Ramsar Sites have been named since COP13, in Africa, making a total of 22 Transboundary Ramsar Sites established in line with Article 5 of the Convention.
- Resolution XIV.6 on Enhancing the Convention’s visibility and synergies with other multilateral environmental agreements and other international institutions approved at the Ramsar COP in November 2022 sets out:
> ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties to continue to implement the Guidelines for international cooperation under the Ramsar Convention (Resolution VII.19), including by establishing cooperative mechanisms for the management of shared wetlands and hydrological basins to enhance transboundary cooperation, and establishment of transboundary Ramsar Sites;
- Resolution XIV.16 on Integrating wetland protection, conservation, restoration, sustainable use and management into national sustainable development strategies also approved at the Ramsar COP in November 2022 sets out:
> ENCOURAGES Contracting Parties, where appropriate and in line with national circumstances, to develop international wetland conservation and restoration, sustainable use and management partnerships, including for transboundary water basins and to reflect the migratory connectivity of species, in cooperation with neighbouring countries within the relevant frameworks;

- IUCN has continued to leverage GEF International Water funds to support transboundary water cooperation, building a sizeable portfolio linked to basins in which IUCN has been engaging with. Finalised: BuPuSa, Mano / Under implementation: Senegal Delta, Mekong River (Peatlands), Corubal River, Mono River / Under development: Lower Mekong Basin (Fisheries), Ubangui River, Ruvuma River

- IUCN's BRIDGE 4 programme came to an end in 2022 with the following key outcomes:
1. Transboundary water governance institutions, legal and policy frameworks are strengthened and operationalised. Institutions are better equipped to function sustainably, in a stakeholder‐inclusive manner that recognises the inter‐sectoral nature of water resources management, with improved linkages across scales and with reliable means for operation.
2. Strategies and plans developed and adapted to enable shared benefits on the ground. BRIDGE 4 has paved the way for IUCN to enable joint elaboration of plans and projects, and where possible, facilitate their implementation towards equitable economic, environmental and social benefits for a range of stakeholders at local level.
3. Enhanced knowledge base catalyses dialogues and planning for transboundary cooperation. Knowledge and tools produced through BRIDGE feed into dialogues to facilitate joint identification of issues and cooperative solutions among multiple stakeholders.

- IUCN's BRIDGE 5 programme stared in September 2022 with the following outcomes:
1. Shared water agreements and institutions are strengthened to ensure informed and inclusive participation, recognising the inter‐sectoral nature of water resources management.
2. Financial sustainability is an integral part of planning and delivery of transboundary water governance and management, contributing to fit-for-purpose institutions and diversified financing streams.
3. Benefit sharing arrangements are applied and implemented, resulting in equitable economic, environmental and social benefits for a range of stakeholders at local level.
4. The role of women and young people in decision-making and integrated water resources management for transboundary basins is recognised and enhanced, though, inter alia, improved access to knowledge and finance.

- The IUCN-led shared waters cooperation facility ran from October 2020 until June 2025, and was designed to provide appropriate expertise that can facilitate dialogue and joint action where cooperation has slowed or stopped. Partnership lies at the centre of the Facility in order to respond to the needs of stakeholders and to shift shared water challenges to shared water solutions.

- UN Water Conference 2023 was used to incentivize countries to make commitments on TB cooperation

- IUCN has joined and is closely supporting the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition, launched at the UN Water Conference 2023. The coalition is: A diverse, multi-stakeholder coalition of actors from around the world with a wide range of functions and capacities, the Coalition will inspire and foster equitable and sustainable cooperation on transboundary waters and provide support through its members. The coalition will provide a catalysing framework for commitments and progress on transboundary water cooperation, especially linked to the UN 2023 Water Conference and the call for voluntary commitments that will comprise one of the outcomes of the Conference, the Water Action Agenda. The Coalition objective is to promote and support both the sustaining and the advancement of transboundary water cooperation in the context of the Water Action Agenda and SDG 6, in light of growing risks, including those linked to climate change

- IUCN contributed to the 10th Meeting of the Parties for the 1997 UN Water Convention in Ljubljana, one of the outcomes of the meetings was reviewing the upcoming workplan to ensure that outcomes from BRIDGE directly contributes to the work if the Convention, and that we increasingly design activities into the growing GEF IW portfolio that supports the TB commitments countries have made.

- IUCN is a consortium member of the second phase of Blue Peace Central Asia starting implementation in May 2025. The Blue Peace Central Asia (BPCA) Initiative aims to transform water from a source of conflict into a driver of regional stability, climate resilience, and sustainable development. BPCA is designed to foster institutionalized transboundary water cooperation, ensuring that Central Asian populations benefit from equitably shared and effectively managed common water resources.

Building on the achievements of its first phase (BPCA 1.0, 2017–2024), BPCA 2.0 expands regional dialogue mechanisms, strengthens governance, and enhances cooperation at macro, meso, and micro levels. It leverages hydro diplomacy, transboundary basin-level cooperation, and capacity-building to institutionalize structured regional dialogues, support joint basin management, and cultivate a new generation of water professionals. The initiative directly contributes to regional and global efforts in water governance, aligning with Switzerland’s Water Initiatives Coordination Center (WICC) and diplomatic work in Central Asia.

- IUCN, together with UNEP-DHI has prepared a project under Denmark’s contribution to the broader Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Transboundary Water Management (TWM), launched by the EU Commission's Department for International Partnerships (INTPA). the Climate Resilient Eastern African Transboundary Water Management for Environmental Sustainability (CREATES) programme seeks to address gaps in transboundary integrated water resource management (IWRM) and improve coordination across climate, disaster risk reduction, and water sectors; enhance climate resilience of affected communities and ecosystems; and contribute to achieving global commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015–2030).

- In collaboration with international and local partners, DOPPS, Birdlife Slovenia, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, City of Ljubljana, Regional Development Agency of Ljubljana Urban Region and Köy-Koop Izmir Birliği have completed the project “Sustainable Urban Future through Drought Management and Wetland Conservation” in Türkiye and Slovenia. The project aimed to develop local and regional strategies for drought resilience, conserve wetlands, and foster cross-border cooperation for ecosystem conservation. Action Plans for drought management and wetland protection were developed for both İzmir and Ljubljana, strengthening the basis for long-term ecosystem-based cooperation between the two regions. Through the project, we organised stakeholder meetings and public awareness activities in İzmir and Ljubljana, bringing together municipalities, cooperatives, NGOs, farmers, students, and local communities. As a result, two comprehensive "Drought and Wetland Conservation Action Plans" were developed, promoting climate resilience and sustainable management of wetlands. Concrete and sustainable collaborations were established to enhance the protection of key wetland ecosystems, particularly the Gediz Delta. The project successfully strengthened international cooperation on freshwater ecosystem conservation and raised awareness about the impacts of drought and the importance of wetland adaptation measures.

- The WCPA Transboundary Conservation Specialist Group organised a webinar on "Multi-national River Basin Management and the role of Transboundary Conservation”. The recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hF-8MqTs5g&t=363s&ab_channel=IUCNWCPATBCSG

- Environmental Law Alliance Wordwide, Honduras Envirommental Law Institute, Land Contamination sources Protocol: Capacity-building workshops to take and analyze water samples from the Motagua River in order to establish the values of the quality parameters of those natural waters in the Lower Motagua River Basin and that affect the Mesoamerican Reef System. Analysis of water samples to establish the values of the water quality parameters of the Motagua River, especially heavy metals. The results showed that the levels of the water parameters were well above the acceptable percentages and in the case of heavy metals, they also exceeded the permissible limits.The results, after having been analyzed by the scientific team, motivated ADA2 to proceed to share them with the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, the governing body for water and sanitation in Guatemala and which is in charge of defending the health of children. population.