The UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention) entered into force on 17 August 2014, with the 35th ratification of the Convention by Viet Nam in May 2014.
The Convention, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 21 May 1997, is the only global agreement addressing the 276 transboundary freshwater lakes and rivers worldwide.
17 August 2014: The UN Convention on the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (UN Watercourses Convention) entered into force on 17 August 2014, with the 35th ratification of the Convention by Viet Nam in May 2014. The Convention, which was adopted by the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 21 May 1997, is the only global agreement addressing the 276 transboundary freshwater lakes and rivers worldwide.
On its entry into force, Uschi Eid, Chair, UN Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), emphasized “it is high time to have it ratified, and I am satisfied it is going into force now, as we enter a new era of international cooperation defined by the post-2015 development agenda.”
The Convention defines aspects of transboundary water cooperation, including encouraging the adoption of basin-wide agreements, and codifying principles including equitable and reasonable utilization. [UN-Water Press Release] [Treaty Status]