26 February 2013: UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Executive Secretary Sven Alkalaj and Sulton Rahimov, First Deputy Minister of Melioration and Water Resources of Tajikistan, discussed cooperation on water and environment projects and activities in Tajikistan, especially in light of the International Year of Water Cooperation.

Alkalaj indicated that in 2013, UNECE will seek to promote transboundary water cooperation and functioning international legal frameworks. He highlighted that the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes had provided an efficient framework for transboundary water cooperation, and that the entry into force on 6 February 2013 of amendments to the Convention, were in the process of transforming the Convention into a global instrument capable to support transboundary water cooperation.

Rahimov invited UNECE to play a key role in a High-level International Conference on Water Cooperation to be held in Dushanbe in August 2013, describing the meeting as a milestone for strengthening mutual understanding and developing a dialogue and cooperation towards further progress in transboundary water cooperation. [UNECE Press Release] [IISD RS Story on the UNECE Water Convention]