28 September 2018: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) published the approach it has developed for addressing the water-food-energy-ecosystems nexus in transboundary basins, ahead of the eighth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (MOP-8) in Astana, Kazakhstan. The methodology was developed over six years of activities around assessing nexus issues and generating policy options that can share the benefits of development among countries and tackle common problems.

Countries that have signed up to the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (the Water Convention) will discuss the methodology when they meet in Kazakhstan from 10-12 October 2018.

MOP-6 in 2012 agreed to develop the methodology in response to rising tensions among member States over the use of shared water resources. The published methodology provides a way for countries that share transboundary basins to identify mutual interests and common or divergent priorities, through multi-stakeholder dialogues and a participatory assessment process. Based on this approach, and drawing on technical expertise, countries then develop packages of policy and technical measures that provide benefits for all concerned.

UNECE highlighted the relevance of action on nexus issues such as irrigated agriculture, eco-tourism, and energy generation to achieving the SDGs. The Commission noted that balancing the trade-offs between hydropower and other priorities has proven especially challenging.

Partners involved in developing the methodology include the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), the Global Water Partnership (GWP), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and the UN University Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), among others. [Publication: Methodology for Assessing the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus in Transboundary Basins and Experiences from its Application: Synthesis] [Report Web Page] [UNECE Press Release]