10 April 2014: The Second Workshop on “River Basin Commissions and Other Joint Bodies for Transboundary Water Cooperation: Technical Aspects” was convened by the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) under the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention).

The workshop focused on technical aspects related to coordination between river basin organizations (RBOs), including: inter-sectoral coordination; infrastructure; groundwater management; environmental protection; and management issues, such as financing and communication. The workshop included sessions on: making environmental protection work in transboundary cooperation; cooperating in the development and management of infrastructure; funding transboundary cooperation; coordinating different water uses and accommodating them better; defining the marketplace of tools and approaches; addressing challenges in the management of joint bodies – communication and establishing contacts with different stakeholders; and managing transboundary groundwater resources.

Throughout the workshop, presentations drew on experiences from joint bodies working in African, Latin American, Asian and European basins, including: Senegal; Volta, Rhine; Plata; Sixaola; Chu and Talas; Sava; North-West Sahara Aquifer System; Aral Sea; Nile; Congo; Lake Chad; and Scheldt. The workshop took place from 9-10 April 2014, in Geneva, Switzerland, and brought together 120 participants from joint bodies, governments and international organizations. The workshop was the second of two mandated by Parties to the UNECE Water Convention in the Work Programme for 2013-2015. [UNECE Meeting Website]