12 October 2012: The fifth meeting of the Working Group on Water and Health under the Watercourses Convention of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has reviewed its plan of implementation and considered linkages between the Protocol on Water and Health and the Green Economy. The Working Group met from 11-12 October 2012, in Geneva, Switzerland.

With regard to implementation, participants considered: a set of guidelines for target setting, evaluation of progress and reporting, including a template for summary reports; surveillance and early warning systems, contingency plans and response capacities; the compliance procedure; and the project facilitation mechanism.

A special session on the relation between the Protocol and the Green Economy focused on: linkages between the Protocol and a green economy; sustainable water use and water stewardship; and the contribution of targets under the Protocol to a Green Economy.

The Protocol on Water and Health to the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes aims to protect human health and well-being through better water management, including the protection of water ecosystems, and by preventing, controlling and reducing water-related diseases. The Working Group on Water and Health is an open-ended subsidiary body responsible for the overall implementation of the Protocol’s programme of work. [UNECE Meeting Page]