Water for Cooperation
Co-Chairs:
Finland and Zambia
Co-Convenors:
UNECE and UNESCO
Transboundary and International Water Cooperation, including Scientific Cooperation, and inclusive governance
Context
Interactive Dialogue 4 on “Water for Cooperation” held during the UN 2023 Water Conference underscored that strengthening water cooperation, particularly at the transboundary level, is critical for advancing sustainable development and regional integration, fostering peace, and promoting collaboration across sectors. Transboundary cooperation on surface and groundwater, guided by international water law principles, has consistently enabled countries to forge and implement mutually beneficial solutions. The urgency of establishing or reinforcing legal and institutional agreements to manage growing competition over shared water resources and prevent conflict was stressed.
Effective cooperation further requires systematic data and knowledge sharing, enhanced investment in hydrological information, and the use of integrated water resources management that links water with agriculture, energy, health, environmental and other sectors. The discussion highlighted the need for scaled-up and better coordinated public and private financing, alongside political commitments and inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement for transboundary and cross-sectoral water cooperation. Advancing water cooperation and governance demands capacity-building at all levels (international, regional, national, and local) to reach agreements and manage water’s complex cross-sectoral ties. Such advances may boost climate resilience. Water cooperation relies on wide-ranging multi-stakeholder engagements and partnerships, including with civil society, concerned populations, local communities, the private sector, women and youth. Water should be a priority in bilateral and multilateral cooperation at all levels.
The proposed theme for this dialogue in 2026 will focus on SDG 6 targets 6.5 (integrated water resources management & transboundary cooperation), 6.a (international cooperation), and 6.b (stakeholder participation). Water cooperation across borders, within countries, and across sectors generate benefits that accelerate progress across all Sustainable Development Goals, in particular promoting peace (SDG 16) and strengthening partnerships (SDG 17).
Transboundary waters account for 60% of the world’s freshwater flows. More than 3 billion people worldwide depend on transboundary water resources. While there has been some progress, among the 153 UN Member States with transboundary waters, only 43 have operational agreements that cover 90% or more of their shared rivers, lakes and aquifers, and at least 20 countries lack any such arrangements. 27 Cooperation between countries over their transboundary waters has long been challenging. Climate change now deepens the challenge, threatening the equitable and sustainable management of shared rivers, lakes, and aquifers by altering water availability and increasing both the frequency and severity of extreme events. Approximately 40% of countries lack sufficient institutional and technical capacity to reconcile competing sectoral water demands and to withstand mounting pressures, including those linked to climate change, leaving them at risk of falling further behind.
Between 2015 and 2022, Official Development Assistance (ODA) disbursements directed to the water sector declined by 5%. Overall, nearly one third of countries reported that donor funds are poorly aligned with national water sector plans, overwhelmingly in low-income countries. For the participation of users and local communities in rural drinking water and water resources management, over 90% of countries reported having procedures, defined in law or policy. However, less than one third of countries reported high or very high participation of users and local communities, where participation is mostly constrained by a lack of financial and human resources.
Data and Trends
Challenges
Progress towards effective transboundary water cooperation remains impeded by the limited and uneven geographic coverage of operational arrangements, the lack of joint mechanisms for climate change adaptation and disaster-risk reduction, persistent data gaps, insufficient legal, financial and institutional capacities, and weak linkages to national IWRM processes.
Declining ODA or water supply and sanitation, together with the limited alignment of donor funds with national water sector plans, continues to constrain infrastructure development while jeopardizing the reliability of services. Governance at the sub-national level is constrained by insufficient financial and human resources. These shortages also limit users and local communities from actively taking part in water and sanitation management.
Opportunities
Cooperation needs to be linked to major sources of public and blended finance so that joint projects and partnerships can move rapidly from plan to implementation. It is critical to embed transboundary and cross-sector cooperation, alongside mechanisms that empower local communities to co-design, monitor, and adapt solutions to national planning cycles to align sectoral investments and build resilience. Closing persistent data and information gaps and fostering data exchange will optimize shared water management. Scientific cooperation including collaborative data generation, knowledge sharing, and joint capacity building will enable evidence-based policy to address interconnected water challenges.
The current political spotlight on water needs to be sustained through accountable followup mechanisms to keep the issue at the center of the global peace, climate and development agenda. There are tangible opportunities to transform the political momentum into concrete progress on water cooperation, including aligning ministerial mandates, earmarking budget lines, and strengthening transboundary legal frameworks. For example, six countries acceded the Convention on the Protection and Used of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) after the UN 2023 Water Conference, increasing membership to 55 and broadening its geographic reach.
Strengthening legal frameworks governing shared waters can enable more countries and basins to benefit from robust and harmonized regulations. Cooperation generates economic, social, environmental and political benefits, such as improved agricultural output, hydropower production, flood protection, and access to clean water and sanitation.
Global and regional partnerships are playing an increasingly pivotal role in bringing together policy mandates, finance, open data, and technology. These partnerships unlock larger blended-finance flows, strengthen scientific cooperation and data sharing, and accelerate research and innovation. Linking international expertise and resources with regional institutions and local actors, multi-level partnerships can enable systematic capacity building, catalyze knowledge transfer, and embed inclusive governance. Expertise can also be shared through south-south, north-south and triangular modes of cooperation and partnerships. By ensuring engagement with civil society, women, youth, and private-sector actors, these partnerships create governance systems that are more inclusive, transparent, accountable, and responsive to diverse needs. Multi-stakeholder dialogues, including both inter- and intra-generational, make water cooperation resilient over time and accelerate collective decision making.