UNECE Water Convention: from regional to global instrument,

and its implementation on the ground

Minna Hanski, Ministerial AdviserMinistry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland

2015 UN-Water Annual International Zaragoza ConferenceWater and Sustainable Development: From Vision to Action

Zaragoza, 15 January 2015

UNECE Water Convention: negotiations, adoption and entry into force

• Negotiated in 1990-1992, signed in 1992, in force on 6 October 1996• Negotiated originally as regional instrument• Amended in 2003 to become open for all UN Member States• Protocol on Water and Health adopted in 1999• Protocol on Civil Liability (not yet in force)

Water Convention objectives Protection of transboundary waters by preventing, controlling and reducing transboundary impacts

Reasonable and equitable use of transboundary waters

Obligation to cooperate through agreements and joint institutions

2003 Amendment to the 1992 UNECE Water Convention

• Opening up the UNECE Water Convention to all UN Member States

• Aim:

• apply the principles and provisions worldwide

• broaden political support for transboundary cooperation, raise awareness and build capacity

• share the experiences of the Convention

• learn from other regions of the world - wider exchange of experiences beneficial for all

• Amendments in force since 2013, 3 ratifications missing

• High interest by non-UNECE countries and national/regional workshops

UN Watercources Convention• Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of

International Watercourses

• global treaty, adopted in 1997, entered into force in 2014

• basic standards and rules for cooperation between watercourse states on the use, management, and protection of international watercourses

• fair and reasonable use of shared water resources

Two complementary, globally-open Water Conventions

“Soon the UNECE Water Convention will become open for accession to all Member States. Your experience and the lessons you have learned will be invaluable. I encourage countries outside the UNECE region to join the Convention and contribute to its further development.”

“The globalization of the [UNECE Water] Convention should also go hand-in-hand with the expected entry into force of the United Nations Watercourses Convention. These two instruments are based on the same principles. They complement each other and should be implemented in a coherent manner.”

Party to UNECE Water

Convention (1992)

Party to UN Watercourses

Convention (1997)

Party to both Conventions

Finnish-Russian transboundary water cooperation

• 19 transboundary inland watersheds

• Agreement signed by Finland and the Soviet Union in 1964

• Institutional basis: Joint Finnish – Russian Commission on the Utilisation of Transboundary Watercourses

The Lake Saimaa - River Vuoksi System

• Catchment 70 000 km2

– Finland 77 %, Russia 23 %

• Lake Saimaa

– surface 4 460 km2

– precipitation ~ 600 mm/a

– water level fluctuation 3,3 m, annual mean 0,7 m

• River Vuoksi natural discharge

– mean 600 m3/s

– max 1170 m3/s

– min 220 m3/s

IMATRA

SVETOGORSK

LESOGORSK

Lake

Saimaa

Lake

Ladoga

+

75.75

+ 67.70

+ 42.20

+ 26.60

+ 5.00

8 m

24 m

15 m

15 m

+60

+40

+20

0

0 5km 10km 15km 20km 25km

Total head (utilized) = 63 m

Installed power = 440 MW

Normal annual production = 2500 GWh

Max. power

Normal annualproduction

62 MW

300 GWh

178 MW

1000 GWh

100 MW

600 GWh

100 MW

600 GWh

FINLAND RUSSIA

1040 m /s

970 m /s3

750 m /s3

750 m /s3

100km

VUOKSI

The profile and power plants of the River Vuoksi

TAINIONKOSKI

3

Lake Saimaa and River Vuoksi Discharge Rule

• Natural water level and discharge in normal circumstances

• When water level forecast goes beyond

normal zone discharge may be increased or reduced

• Natural discharge resumed when flood or drought threat ceases

• Calculation of eventual losses and benefits, compensation of possible losses is addressed

Finnish-Russian transboundary water cooperation:

Equitable and reasonable use of transboundary waters

• Participatory approach during planning and implementation: involve stakeholders to identify their needs, problems and priorities

• Main aim: to minimise adverse consequences in the river system as a whole

• Flood and drought risk management in both countries

• Hydropower production

• Habitats of fish and endangered Saimaa seal

• Common understanding of risks, benefits and costs in the broad sense

• Joint rules for watershed regulation in extreme water events -important tool for joint climate change adaptation

Finnish-Russian transboundary water cooperation:

Ideas for implementation of the future SDGs

• Water Conventions and their regional implementation are important instruments for water diplomacy & conflict prevention –> water security

• The benefits of cooperation on shared waters rise above national, often short-term, interests

• Transboundary agreements can lower threshold for initiating discussions leading to solving disputes

• Finding the way for equitable and sustainable use for the whole basin is a challenge but may also create a win-win situation