News Excerpt:

Ivory Coast has become the 10th African nation to join the United Nations Water Convention, marking a significant step towards enhancing cooperative water management across its borders.

UN Water Convention

• The Convention, formally known as the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and entered into force in 1996.
• Initially it was established as a regional framework for the pan-European region, following an amendment procedure, since March 2016 all UN Member States can accede to it.
  • Now it includes 53 member countries globally.

• • India is not a Party to the convention.

Key Provisions under the Convention:

• The Convention is a unique legally binding instrument promoting the sustainable management of shared water resources, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, prevention of conflicts, and the promotion of peace and regional integration. 
• It requires Parties to prevent, control and reduce transboundary impact, use transboundary waters in a reasonable and equitable way and ensure their sustainable management.
• Parties bordering the same transboundary waters have to cooperate by entering into specific agreements and establishing joint bodies.
• As a framework agreement, the Convention does not replace bilateral and multilateral agreements for specific basins or aquifers; instead, it fosters their establishment and implementation, as well as further development. 

Significance of the convention:

• The Water Convention is a powerful tool to promote and operationalize the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its SDGs.
• It directly supports implementation of target 6.5 under UN SDG which requests all countries to implement integrated water resources management, including through transboundary cooperation, as appropriate. 
• The Convention and its programme of work are also relevant for other SDGs, such as goals 2, 7, 13, 15, 16, 17 and target 11.5. 

Rationale for Joining: 

• With a high vulnerability to climate change, Ivory Coast faces significant challenges in managing its water resources.
• The country shares eight transboundary river basins with six neighboring countries—Ghana, Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. 
• These basins include the Black Volta, Bia, Tanoe, Comoe, Niger, Sassandra, Cavally, and Nuon rivers. 
• Among them, the Niger River basin, spanning nine countries, is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and is projected to experience the largest decrease in river flows in Africa.
• Since the global expansion of the UN Water Convention in 2016, several African nations, including Chad, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Togo, and Cameroon, have joined. 
• In 2023, Nigeria, Namibia, and The Gambia also acceded to the Convention.

Significance for Ivory Coast: 

• Ivory Coast's accession to the Convention underscores its commitment to sustainable water management and cooperation with neighboring countries.
• This move is critical as the nation deals with water insecurity, exacerbated by urbanization, climate change, pollution, and uneven distribution of water resources.
• According to the Global Water Security 2023 Assessment, Ivory Coast ranks as the 40th water-insecure country in Africa.
• With a growing population of 30 million, addressing water needs has become increasingly challenging.

Regional significance:

• This cooperative approach under the convention is vital for regions like Africa, where 63 international transboundary river basins cover about 62% of the land area and account for 90% of the total surface water. 
• Moreover, 40% of the continent is situated on transboundary aquifers, where 33% of the population resides, making groundwater cooperation essential for climate change adaptation.

Future Prospects: 

• Ivory Coast's accession is part of a broader trend of African nations joining the UN Water Convention. 
• Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are in the final stages of accession, with significant developments expected ahead of the 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention in Ljubljana, Slovenia, from October 23-25, 2024.

Conclusion: 

Ivory Coast’s membership in the UN Water Convention represents its efforts to manage water resources sustainably and cooperatively. This development is crucial for addressing the challenges posed by climate change and ensuring the equitable distribution and use of water resources in the region. The Convention provides a framework for continued cooperation, contributing to peace, sustainable development, and climate resilience across borders.