In light of the triple planetary crisis, the 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties of the Water Convention (23-25 October 2024, Ljubljana, Slovenia) decided to include in the work programme 2025-2027 of the Water Convention a dedicated sub-programme area on the conservation and restoration of transboundary freshwater ecosystems. This global workshop is an essential element of this workstream and will inform, among others, the discussion at the ninth meeting of the Task Force on Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus (18 June 2025, Geneva).
The overall objective of the workshop is to boost cooperation and thus accelerate the restoration and conservation of transboundary freshwater ecosystems with a view to improve biodiversity status and condition, water and climate resilience. The workshop is meant to inspire and scale-up concrete action on the ground. It will particularly focus on the benefits, challenges and limitations of protecting and restoring transboundary ecosystems, considering that such actions have sometimes served as an entry point to start or strengthen cooperation over shared waters.
The workshop will be followed by the 9th meeting of the Task Force on the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus under the Water Convention on 18 June 2025. The Task Force provides a platform for discussion about intersectoral issues, including water allocation, and will discuss about possible actions under the Water Convention. The Task Force meeting is open for a broad participation.
Detailed agendas for the Global Workshop and the Task Force will be made available closer to the meeting date.
Co-lead Parties and partners: The global workshop is organized under the auspices of the Water Convention serviced by UNECE, under the leadership of France, Slovenia and Zambia as co-lead Parties of programme area 3.6 on Promoting conservation and restoration of transboundary freshwater and water-related ecosystems.
The workshop is organized in partnership with the European Union, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Languages: The global workshop will be organized at the Palais des Nations, Geneva, with interpretation into Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
Registration: To attend the events, create an account in Indico and register for the event using the following link by 9 June 2025: https://indico.un.org/event/1012055/
For assistance with registration, contact the secretariat by e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Audience: Focal points are invited to facilitate the nomination of relevant representatives from their countries and basins responsible for issues related to – but not limited to – water, climate and biodiversity to participate in the afore-mentioned events. UNECE is committed to gender equality. To this end, Member States are encouraged to ensure gender-balanced participation in the meeting.
