Water

The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention’s mission is “the conservation and wise use of all wetlands through local and national actions and international cooperation, as a contribution towards achieving sustainable development throughout the world”.The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”. As of September 2024, there are 172 contracting parties, with a total of 2,523 wetlands designated, covering an area of 257,314,434 hectares. The Fourth Ramsar Strategic Plan (2016–2024) was adopted at COP12 in 2015 and outlines a vision for wetlands conservation and wise use. It consists of four overarching goals and 19 specific targets aimed at halting and reversing global wetland loss and degradation. These targets are aligned with broader global frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Aichi Biodiversity Targets 

In 2022, the Strategic Plan was updated to incorporate new elements. Key updates include:

Mapping the Ramsar targets with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework to address new biodiversity goals.

Adding three thematic annexes covering actions to support SDG implementation, communication strategies, and gender considerations​

Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity, were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Established in 1994, UNCCD is the sole legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management. The UNCCD is the only legally binding framework set up to address desertification and the effects of drought. There are 197 Parties to the Convention, including 196 country Parties and the European Union. The Convention – based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization – is a multilateral commitment to mitigate the impact of land degradation, and protect our land so we can provide food, water, shelter and economic opportunity to all people.  The objective of this Convention is to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought in countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa, through effective action at all levels, supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements, in the framework of an integrated approach which is consistent with Agenda 21, with a view to contributing to the achievement of sustainable development in affected areas.

The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), or the Bonn Convention, was adopted in 1979 to increase cooperation to maintain and enhance the ecological connectivity of transboundary habitats, cross-border protected areas, and vulnerable ecosystems along the migratory ranges of specific species. It aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. Parties to the CMS work together to conserve migratory species and their habitats by providing strict protection for the most endangered migratory species, by concluding regional multilateral agreements for the conservation and management of specific species or categories of species, and by undertaking co-operative research and conservation activities. The new SAMARKAND STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MIGRATORY SPECIES 2024-2032 was adopted by the Conference of the Parties at its 14th Meeting (Samarkand, February 2024). Six Goals are set out below to achieve the Vision of the SPMS. Each of the Goals will be achieved through the fulfilment of the related Targets. Goals and Targets are formulated in such a way as to enable baselines to be readily established, and to facilitate monitoring that effectively tracks the impact of actions in progressing towards achieving the SPMS Goals by 2032.

The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted during the fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) after a four-year process of consultation and negotiation. This landmark Framework, which contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals and builds on the Convention’s previous Strategic Plans, outlines an ambitious path towards realizing the global vision of a world living in harmony with nature by 2050. The Framework's key components include four goals for 2050 and 23 targets for 2030. The vision of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a world of living in harmony with nature where “by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.” 

The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and entered into force in 1996.

The Convention is a unique legally binding instrument promoting the sustainable management of shared water resources, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the prevention of conflicts, and the promotion of peace and regional integration.

The Water Convention 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.

The Convention was originally negotiated as a regional framework for the pan-European region. Following an amendment procedure, since March 2016 all UN Member States can accede to it. Chad and Senegal have become the first African Parties in 2018. Then, Ghana acceded in 2020 and was followed by Guinea-Bissau and Togo in 2021, by Cameroon in 2022, and Nigeria and The Gambia in 2023. Iraq acceded in March 2023 as the first country from the Middle East, Namibia in June 2023 as the first country from Southern Africa and Panama in July 2023 as the first country from Latin America. The accession of these countries offers new prospects for: enhanced transboundary cooperation globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and Latin America; conflict prevention; and regional stability.

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, 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 all the other targets of goal, but also: goals 2, 7, 13, 15, 16, 17 and target 11.5.

The UNWC is a global treaty adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997. It is a framework convention governing international watercourses. The present Convention applies to uses of international watercourses and of their waters for purposes other than navigation and to measures of protection, preservation and management related to the uses of those watercourses and their waters.