2nd Session, 21st Meeting of the Working Group on Monitoring and Assessment

Yeah, everybody, good afternoon.
Allow me to open this session by reminding the objective of the working group.
But no, I migrate to French Usually I say this to Fanny.
She told me that I have to speak French because it's an international meeting.
But of course, we often feel obliged to learn English.
We're here to resume our session this afternoon.
It is my honor to co chair with my colleague Anastina from Finland.
On the table to my right, respectively, we have Gambia.
And with Landing Bojang.
After further, we have Andrés Marany from Estonia and they are co lead parties.
The objective of the working group is to examine the draft of a new publication on a policy guidance note on conjunctive water management in transboundary basins.
This note must be finalized and then presented to the 11th session of the parties in 2027, God willing in Dakar.
Now, I'll give the floor to Lesion, who will make a presentation, and then Landing Bojan.
You have the floor.
No, I'm so sorry.
Let's begin at my extreme left, Gambia and then Estonia, Landing.
Thank you, co chair.
Good afternoon, Distinguished delegates, colleagues and experts.
I'm Landin Bojan, Chief hydrologist at the Department of Water Resources on the Ministry of Fisheries Water Resources and National Assembly Matters of the Gambia.
I also serve as the co chair of the program Area 3.4 on promoting conjunctive water management of transboundary surface waters and groundwater, alongside my co chair, Andrés Marany, Head of Department, Department of Geology and Environmental Geology at the Geological Society of Estonia.
In fulfillment of this program area, under the framework of the Water Convention, I am an international expert group on conjunctive water management in transboundary basins was established in early 2025.
To support the development of this policy guidance notes, the objective of this important publication is to provide technical policy guidance and advice on the conjunctive management of surface waters and groundwater with particular focus on transboundary basins.
On behalf of the co lead parties, Estonia and Gambia, I would like to sincerely thank all the experts, partner institutions, and Water Convention Secretariat for their dedication, commitment, and invaluable support since the inception.
Their technical expertise, constructive engagement, and collaborative spirit have been instrumental in advancing this important work towards strengthening transboundary water cooperation, water security, and climate resilience.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Landen Borja for your presentation.
Now we give the floor to Li.
Thank you, Chair colleagues.
Thanks for our nice words.
So I will take it from here.
Landing made already this introduction and acknowledgments to the expert groups, which I would like to do myself again.
But I have a story to tell you, and that's the story about the water and not only the groundwater, not only the surface water, but it's the groundwater and surface water together.
We took responsibility to compile the guideline policy guidance note by the end of the next year and we are on a halfway.
We have done first draft and with the experts, which we have compiled is the extended content of this guidance.
The main idea is to build up easy readable and a nice guidance which the high level politicians would like to read.
And not only one page or two pages, but hopefully until the end.
So therefore, we have worked out a special structure where we start with understanding and the concept.
Then we will explain the urgency why the conjunctive water management is necessary and also in the trans boundary.
And area.
And then as we heard already yesterday and the day before yesterday, there are a lot of conditions which are needed to apply all the things and which should be the steps.
So this is what we aim to put together.
And as a warning If you have read it already, I hope you have read it.
And if you think or if you notice that in the Chapters four and five, there are too many maybe declarations and not so much content, then this is actually the part where the case studies will come and there we will actually explain the real issues in those, and this is mostly the activities for the second stage, and it will be a come in the near future, but about that I will take later.
So conjunctive water management, what is it? How many of you actually know what is it? And I'm wondering or I'm thinking that many of you actually think that there is already integrated water resource management.
What is now conjunctive water management? So we had long discussions about it and we find that the conjunctive water management is taking the surface water and groundwater together as a resource and mostly the quantity.
If you affect one, you also affect the other one.
So this is one but very important part inside the integrated water resource management.
So it will be complement this process.
So what is the main problem? Also in the transboundary is that nature is actually simple.
Water flows from higher ground to the lower ground and there are some natural boundaries, but then we have the human boundaries built by the humans.
We have the legal boundaries, we have some technical boundaries, and this is where it gets complicated.
Usually water doesn't care what the people think.
It will flow anyways, but we have to cope with it and somehow we have to manage that.
This is the main principle of this conjunctive water management.
If we want to achieve this reliability, resilience, and also the cooperation to achieve that, or if we are also worried about the ecosystems and the ecosystem services.
And on the other hand, we know that the climate is changing.
The population is growing, there is spontaneous use.
So there are different things we have to put together and to do it, especially to do it in a trans boundary conditions, we need the shared understanding.
We heard it already yesterday and the day before yesterday, but this is actually why we need this conjunctive water management.
And again, repeating myself from yesterday and before yesterday because I was listening to it, I even took some notes during that.
Also, again, if the sustainability and cooperation and coordination is actually the aims or the ways we want to do, then the conjunctive order management needs some kind of enabling conditions.
There were many talks about it.
It's the same.
It's the mandates.
It has to be clear who has which mandates.
It's about the legal basis inside the countries and also between the countries.
It's the capacity, it's funding, it's share data.
Everything is important if we want to start applying these principles.
And there is also this interesting situation because from the case studies, we can also see that all the countries here, they are somehow in a different level in this process.
Some of the countries, they have already the crisis or some problems with the water resources.
The other countries maybe just share the transboundary water, surface water, groundwater, but there are no real problems to tackle at the moment.
And that's why they are in a situation of the abundance or the stability.
And where on the other hand, there is a crisis and scarcity and when the crisis and scarcity will increase, then also the urgency and complexity increases.
It's like establishing a profitable company.
If you're doing company, first you have to have agreement how you will split the profit.
If you don't have the problems, you can still divide or split your resources.
If you have the crisis already, then it's really hard to do it.
Then it's totally different tools.
Therefore, if we start again solving our problems in the water resources as well, we have to acknowledge or we have to understand in which situation, our countries are in this particular situation.
So I hope you have read this draft of the guidance, and I hope there will be some feedback from us because we really need it.
It's the different kind about the narrative, about the general idea, how it's built up, what can be done better, what can be maybe skipped or something, everything is important for us because we are doing it for you.
You are probably the people who understand what is really going on, but other people in the countries, they have to read it also, and you are the best ones actually who know how to build a good guidance.
And which is also not important, we are looking for the case studies also.
We have heard during the last two days, many of them, but I'm sure in the countries, you have many interesting case studies, and I mean, again, it's if you feel you have done something really nice in your country and you think it can be shared to the others so that others could also learn, or maybe if there have been some mistakes or something and you think the others could learn from that, please let us know and give us some feedback.
So at the moment we are on halfway.
We will start collecting now the case studies and next year, the first half of the next year, we mostly will be writing and hopefully we will be ready by October 2027.
I just to inspire you.
I took already some insights from today's session or workshop here.
Here you can see that from different case studies, you see that there are already the examples that the shared indicators create shared reality.
Trust can be personalized.
Flood events depends on operational trust.
These are the things which actually connect to teach the other countries also how to do it in a small steps, not to start building in the right way the big monstrom, but you can start with small steps and you can take it piece by piece.
And I would like to end it to this I call it the law of conservation of water.
I use it in the university all the time.
But nature itself is simple.
Water flows, it goes from the recharge area to the discharge area.
And if you take anything during that way, it means that something will be missed in the discharge area.
It's simple.
Everybody can understand that, but it gets complicated when the human laws are brought to the same law and when we start dealing with our boundaries and with our activities.
So once again, I want to thank us from our partners, from our expert group.
I want to thank the chair and listening to us.
And if you have any case studies or if you have any feedback to that gance, then please contact either Landing, me, or also the Secretariat you can always contact.
So thank you for listening, and hopefully we'll have a nice discussion now.
Thanks.
Thank you very much, Loni, for your attention.
President very good, beautiful presentation, a good message, the application of the law complicates the water resource management and use.
Water itself has no borders, but there are these laws.
Thank you very much for this excellent work which you've done and shared with us all.
Now we will move on to the auditorium.
Do you have any comments, questions on what has just been presented? The floor.
Yes.
Rev Iab P.
Russian Federation, please.
Good afternoon, chair and participants of the working party.
We support the goals and structure of this draft guidance document, which is consistent with active instruments and shows management methods for conjunctive management, even for those countries who are already doing transboundary monitoring.
Thank you very much for this excellent body of work.
There is One point we'd like to raise, it's about terminology used in the document.
Water security, we think should be replaced by water availability because that's the sixth sustainable development goal, so we should make it consistent with that.
Also, we would like to tell you what's happening in our country in this area.
In Russia, We already have a first pilot system for integrated management of surface and groundwater in Russia and Belarus and we are developing a plan for transboundary monitoring of water bodies, including an integrated approach to study interaction of shared water bodies and methodologies in both countries, approval of data, and study of jointly obtained results to prepare information for submission to national accounts under 652 SDG.
For the moment, we've compared the legislation of both countries, done correlation of geological sections.
We've also compared the values of threshold concentrations of chemicals.
We've already done the groundwork and that's what we wanted to tell you.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Rsa, for your comment and your suggestion.
I think that the working group have taken notes.
Bu.
Thank you very much.
Now I have Finland requesting the floor to give us comments and suggestions.
Yes.
Thank you very much Chairman many thanks for the expert group for providing such an excellent draft on the guidance notes and I have one such for your consideration.
I understand the starting point for constunctive management focus on the quantity of surface water and ground use of the water resources.
I note that the guides note acknowledges the contribution of production to water quality.
But what I would like to address and maybe for your consideration is that I think water quantity and water quality should always be managed together and preventive measures for securing ambient water quality, both in surface water and groundwater is a prerequisite also for governed, well managed and planned conjunctive management.
The decisions can be made based on sound knowledge and preparedness.
Thank you.
Yeah, thank you very much, Finland, for your suggestion which you've just shared with us.
I give the floor to my colleague, Anasina who wants to share something with us on this point.
Okay.
Thank you.
I guess meanwhile you are thinking what to ask.
I have a couple of questions just for my interest also.
I was wondering, did you consider groundwater dependent ecosystems? Because as stated, groundwater is needed for several ecosystem services and also for peatlands, et cetera.
That could be something I was looking at that, but maybe I missed it.
Then I was also wondering, what about nature based solutions in the protection of conjunction or conjunctive, both the quality and quantity of interconnected water systems.
But of course, it's already a practice or solution, how to try to preserve the pool conditions also of the groundwater ecosystems.
Then third one is also the artificial groundwater production as a tool to increase or provide or increase the supply of groundwaters.
So three topics.
Maybe you have discussed those in your and of course, I understand that the guidance has to be very focused, but I was looking also for the importance of groundwaters for ecosystems, as in the water, energy, food, there's also the ecosystems part of the system.
Thank you.
Thank you Joanna for your contribution.
Adré Pro.
You have the flu.
Mr.
Chairman, good afternoon.
Dear distinguished delegates.
First of all, let me also thank the lead countries and the Secretariat for preparing this very practical document.
From our perspective.
One of the key aspects of this document is that it explains conjunctive management not only as a technical issue, but also as a governance and cooperation challenge.
It reflects many practical challenges faced in Central Asia where existing cooperation frameworks have mainly focused on surface waters.
While groundwater management and monitoring frameworks remain less integrated.
At the same time, groundwater is becoming increasingly important for water supply, irrigation, and climate resilience, especially in the arid and drought prone areas of our region.
In practice, different forms of conjunctive management are views already exist in our countries, particularly during periods of seasonal shortages and droughts and these practices often develop without formal conjunctive management frameworks.
In this regard, we believe that this publication could benefit from the case studies, illustrating gradual pathways towards conjunctive management in transboundary settings.
One possible example could be the ongoing work on the Prishkan transboundary aquifer shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
This case reflects several aspects of this document, including limited recharge, growing pressure on this aquifer, the need for the joint monitoring and data exchange.
It may also be useful to include more examples from the arid and semi arid regions where conjunctive use often develops spontaneously before formal governance agements are established.
We look forward to contributing to this important work.
Thank you.
Mercy.
Thank you very much.
Any further requests for the floor, thank you for your contributions and comments after that presentation.
Yes, Jeff, go ahead.
Thank you very much for giving me the floor.
Just wanted to take this opportunity to also inform that asIWLn and as part of the series of publication that we've been preparing under this knowledge management component, we are also preparing a specific publication on the topic of conjunctive water management, which will look more closely at the lessons learned from the Jeff International Water portfolio.
Um, so more specifically, let's say the aims will be to analyze the drivers for conjunctive water management and the different types of interventions that are put in place by the projects, as well as the challenges.
And in this way to have, let's say, a state of play in these different areas where conjunctive water management is going all the way from spontaneous use all the way to plant management.
And to use this as a synthesis of best or good practices that could inform future projects, especially in view of the next replenishment cycle, Jeff nine that will start very soon in July, which have a renewed and a very strong focus on groundwater and also on conjunctive water management.
So while preparing this publication, we've been constantly in touch also with the W Convention to make sure that these two products, they are complementary.
And also now that as I understand you arrived at the point of looking more closely into case studies.
So we're sharing also our information in this respect.
So we tapped on 16 IW projects for this analysis.
We're sure that there will be nice complementarities between two publications.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much for that information about the publication of a paper which could be most useful for those in water management and governance.
Right at the back, is it in May, you have the floor.
This is Maher from Nile Basin Initiative.
B, you have the floor, yes.
Yeah.
Thank you.
This is M from Nile Basin Initiative.
I've noticed that at the guidelines, the first chapter talks about the explanation about conjunctive.
I would like to add a new dimension.
Conjunctive can also accommodate groundwater groundwater.
We have an experiment in Ketalicena where we had brackish water from groundwater and freshwater from groundwater in the valley.
Then we use the two groundwaters to be mixed to improve the quality.
I think this is also a good dimension to be added.
Not only to restrict the term conjunctive to only surface and groundwater.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for sharing this innovation with us.
It's a good idea for improving water resources, groundwater plus groundwater.
If there are no further requests for the floor, I see none, then let me tell you something.
It is going to impact the Secretariat of the convention.
Maybe we could see with our sister from Russia who spoke of water security replacing this term.
It depends on our understanding of this expression.
However, in Senegal, we have a major project with the World Bank and it's integrated project for water security and sanitation.
Now, if we don't use that term water security, that's going to be hard for us in Senegal because we already have this project which is called Integrated Project for Water Security and Sanitation.
I don't know if we can find some agreement on the use of this terminology.
I have a further point, the transboundary vocabulary There are French speakers in the Secretariat.
This is a, this trans boundary is a word which is imposed on us, but in elementary school, we used a different word in French.
It was Trans Fontaier we used and now it's Tfonier.
These are used interchangeably in French.
First time I saw it, I wasn't very happy.
I saw it said Trafier and so I just crossed it out because I'd never seen that before.
Maybe you can help us to clarify this and correct the texts.
Otherwise, things become more complicated.
We don't know in French which we should use.
Are we supposed to say Tfroaler or Tfnier? You the French speakers in the Secretariat must figure it out for us.
Once I was working with the legal advisor in my ministry and we got this word Trafrontier.
We said, no, no, but they said it's the convention which uses it.
This is actually a translation from English into French and a great French academician told me that it was calibration.
But this is in French, which is Anglicized and borrowed from Canadians who are bilingual.
And instead of saying collage, they say Cali Braon.
Julian, you are the one who has to help us with this transferer.
This is all different French words for transboundary Albania.
Maybe we can read the decision.
Water security is what I want to address.
I want to reassure all delegates that this term is increasingly used and established in global documents on water, the global water agenda in particular, following the definition approved by member states of the intergovernmental hydrological program of UNESCO in its eighth phase.
There was an agreement that there should be this definition, which I have in English before me.
I won't read it out because it's long, but it just says it's the definition which was also used in the 2023 conference in various documents at that time.
So it is being used regularly and consistently in various international bodies.
So this term water security is recognized and used and well founded.
Thank you.
Thank you very much for that comment.
I think we can agree with our colleagues from Russia on the concept.
I think it is used and so if you take it out, it might be difficult.
I think we should probably leave the word.
If there are no other requests for the floor, Russia has the floor.
Thank you, Chairman.
Thank you to the colleagues for their comments.
In general, we agree with you that, yes, I This term is used in different ways in different countries.
You have your own way, but at the same time, we see that different delegations understand it differently though.
S in this document, we're not giving any definition, but rather we're using it in two places that term.
In reality, it implies accessibility of water resources water availability.
That wording comes from SDG six.
In that case, we're not saying to delete that wording, but rather just replace security with availability.
Because when we talk about the SDGs, Here, clear, there's a clear understanding from the whole international community, and therefore we want to avoid any differing interpretations of that concept, which unfortunately, we continue to see in various fora.
That's why we would prefer to replace that term.
Thank you.
Thank you for that comment.
I think the working party can continue to work on that and add to the document, add a footnote to reflect the Unesco definition.
UNSCO is very much authorized to do this because that is an intergovernmental program on hydrology, that definition could validly be accepted by all especially as it's an intergovernmental definition.
Perhaps they does the working party have a comment to make on that? Thanks.
I wish to thank the Russian Federation and all the other comments and questions.
We really value your observations, and then we believe that it's going to enrich the guidance note.
I wish to say that we will look into this.
Tomorrow, we will have the general expert working group.
We will look into this submission and also I wish to draw your attention that availability is also used in the guidance note.
If you look at it closely.
Nonetheless, we will give it a consideration.
Thanks so much.
My B.
Thank you very much for that clarification.
That is very important.
Any further requests for the floor? I suggest that you read the decision proposed by the working group for your approval or validation.
The working group expressed its appreciation for the support of Estonia and the Gambia, as well as the expert group on conjunctive water management in transboundary basins in the development of the draft publication.
The working group entrusted the Secretariat in cooperation with the lead parties and with the support of the expert group to prepare a revised draft of the publication policy guidance note on conjunctive water management in transboundary basins, taking into account the comments made at the meeting and additional inputs received for review and approval by the joint meeting of the working group on Integrated Water Resources Management and the working group on monitoring and Assessment, Geneva 31, May 3rd, June 2027, with a view to launching the publication at the 11th session of the meeting of the parties, Dkar 26 29th, October 2027.
Pending that being official, that's the date that we've got penciled in for the 11th session.
This draft decision is there for your approval.
Are there any comments? Can we take it that the decision is so adopted? The proposed decision is therefore adopted.
We want to thank the working group For me, I'd like to recall the monitoring and evaluation project on the data sharing.
Recall that the working program 2025, 2027 includes support to a joint coordinated system.
We invite the president.
We'd like to talk to Li Abraham from Armenia to join us up here, as well as m Ja Page, Lili Abrahamian, my Ja Page.
Zora Coso Zoritza come up? Yes.
Loup Kazakv from North Macedonia, please come up.
Jaar Motanova please come.
Yes.
Okay.
Okay.
I think everyone's here.
We can get started.
I give the floor to Lilit to make a presentation over to you.
5 minutes, please.
Distinguished colleagues, this morning, he was here presenting a signing of agreement between Armenia and Georgia.
I'd like to talk about some technical aspects of Armenian and Georgian cooperation in transboundary monitoring in Kramibid River basin and also present Armenia's experience when it comes to monitoring Indicator 652 SDGS 652, since that indicator played an important role in the signing of the agreement between the two countries.
SDG six is aimed at ensuring presence and sustainable management of water resources and sanitation for all 65 provides for implementation of comprehensive water resource management at all levels, including transboundary cooperation and 652 reflects the proportion of transboundary water basins covered by existing water cooperation arrangements when It's an important instrument of confidence building between countries and ensuring sustainable general water resource management.
For effective monitoring of SDG 651 and two, in 2070, Armenia created an intersexual working group on monitoring with the participation of key state authorities.
In 2023, there was the third report on those indicators prepared with the joint efforts of that working group and the report included information on subsequent water assessments to do with the Araks basin with Turkey, where there is an arrangement in place going back to the times of the Soviet Union, as well as the Iraxi Sirna River, where there is a joint working group on monitoring water quality, and of course, the Viki Dibz basin with Georgia, where as part of the EU for the environment project, monitoring joint water quality monitoring work was carried out without any agreement being in place.
The goal of joint monitoring is strengthening transboundary cooperation and communication between Georgia and Armenia harmonization of methods and instruments for monitoring used, defining priorities of transboundary water resource management, as well as raising awareness among the national authorities and the public regarding the status and quality of waters of the Debk and srami rivers.
Moreover, those measures help implement international commitments as part of cooperation with the EU.
Joint monitoring measures were carried out as part of the EU project 2010-2023.
As a result of that work, We developed a manual on guidance document on joint monitoring procedures in 2023, also as part of the EU for the Environment Water and Data Program, we conducted joint monitoring in the Rb River basin.
Sampling was taken both of water on soil and groundwater.
A analysis covered hydrobiological, morphological indicators.
And processing of data and preparing the report was carried out by the Hydro centers in Armenia together with the National Agency for the Environment in Georgia.
Subsequently, on December 3rd, 2025, the two monitoring centers signed a memorandum of understanding and data exchange on the quality and quantity of waters in the Krama Debit Transboundary River Basin.
The memorandum is in line with the criteria of SDG 652 and provides for regular meetings and exchange of information.
We expect the signing of the MOU to lead to an increase in the significance of Armenias indicator by about 22%.
In turn, that indicator should have a positive impact in Georgia too.
Together with the MOU, we also put together and adopted a guidance document on the program of transboundary monitoring of water resources.
That document includes technical instructions for conducting joint monitoring and is made up of the following sections, a monitoring approach, quality control reporting, as well as annexes.
Those chapters set out five.
Surface and groundwater sampling sites, cleanness, sampling frequency and schedule, and analysis of samples, inter laboratory testing, data exchange, and the annexes contain guidelines on field survey of surface water and groundwater and protocols for field surveys.
In conclusion, I'd like to underline that transboundary cooperation is a key factor for sustainable water management and achieving the SDGs.
Thank you very much.
Madame Hala.
Thank you very much.
Madame Abraham from Armenia.
We noted that they worked on joint monitoring among states with the shared transw basin.
That was what the presentation covered.
We'll now give the floor to the next speaker from Albania, Jamie Ja Page.
Thank you, Chair.
Distinguished colleague, on behalf of Albania, I am pleased to inform you about brief update on the semi Terna project under the name of cross sectoral Corporation in Trabanter Basin in Western Balkans.
A key milestone is the complete of the hydrological study which strengthen our understanding of groundwater and surface water systems and provide the solid basic for evidence pains monitoring and assessment.
Albania has endorsed the recommendation measures and particularly in monitoring network and target follow up studies to address the data gaps.
In February this year, we hosted a batural meeting and technical workshop on hydromorphological monitoring, which help it align methodologies and deepen connection with our neighbor.
A concrete outcome, it was the shared interest in both countries of having a joint monitoring on morphological exercise to support approaches and compare data across the basin.
At the same time, we are advancing with designing the draft protocol of the exchange of information, which is essential to formalize the structure, regular and transparent data sharing between our countries.
In conclusion, the example and expertise of Temi Tierna shows that effective transboundary cooperation is built on three pillars, data sharing, joint monitoring, and institutional trust.
With the support of W Convention, we are moving forward from dialogue to implementation, from data generation to a joint informed decision making at the basin level.
Albania remains fully commitment to its path and look forward for better cooperation.
Thank you.
M B, thank you very much for your commitment to work on cooperation.
I think that's very good news and we very much encourage you to continue along those lines.
I'd give the floor now to Zorita from Montenegro to make her presentation there.
Colleagues.
On behalf of Montenegro, I am pleased to share an update on recent activities in the transboundary Siena River basin carried out within the project cross sectorial cooperation in transboundary basins in the Western Balkans founded by the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
At the outset, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the UN ECE Water Convention Secretariat for it's continuous support and valuable advisory role through the implementation of this project.
Key milestone of this work was the bilateral meeting and technical workshop held in Tirana 24-26, February 2026, jointly organized by Montenegro and Albania with the support of the U N ECE Water Convention Secretariat.
The discussions focused on the draft hydrological study of the Sam Siena basin with particular emphasis of Chapter six, which addresses monitoring improvements, data management, and future research needs.
The study represents the most comprehensive compilation of available data for the basin to date.
However, it also clearly high points of fundamental challenge.
Despite significant national efforts, data remain fragmented and often limited by gaps, inconsistencies, and lack of continuity, particularly on the Albanian side.
Several key findings emerge.
First, river discharge shows a long term decreasing trend likely linked to climate variability.
Second, there is strong evidence of hydraulic connectivity between surface water and cast aquifers across the border.
Then data scarcity, especially continuous hydrological and metological records remains the most critical limitation for reliable assessment and decision making.
In response, both parties agreed on a set of concrete coordinated measures on monitoring systems.
Montenegro will upgrade existing infrastructure, including telemetry, groundwater monitoring equipment, and hydrological stations, and Albania will establish key monitoring points, including new meteorological and hydrological stations, as well as observation wells.
On data management, both countries recognize that data are insufficienient, proceed into decision relevant information.
Priorities include the utilization of archives, improved data sharing, and strengthening institutional capacity.
Then on further studies, additional investigations are needed, including trace lead test and isotop based studies to better understand groundwater dynamics.
Crucial shared understanding is that sustainable progress cannot really solely on the project based support, long term institutional commitment, adequate funding and strengthened cooperation mechanism are essential for maintaining a functional monitoring system.
The workshop also benefit from international experience shared by experts from Finland, Italy, Slovenia, and Ukraine confirming that systematic ideological monitoring typically conducted in six year cycles is key to effective water management.
In conclusion, the Tran meeting reaffirmed strong bilateral commitment and demonstrated that the Sam Sievna basin can serve as a model for practical implementation of the Voter Convention principles in the Western Balkans.
Montenegro remains fully committed to further strengthening cooperation with Albania, improved data sharing and aligning monitoring practices with EU and UN EC standards.
We prepared the protocol.
The protocol has been prepared between Montenegro and Albania.
There was a change of signatories of the protocol because the chairman of the commission who should sign the protocol changed.
A new chairman of the commission should be elected.
Thank you for your intention.
Thank you very much for that presentation.
I think you've talked about the bilateral willingness of the two countries to continue along those lines, but also the difficulties despite the efforts made linked to fragmentation of data and that those data when fragmented makes that complicates decision making.
So what you've said, I think that's a very good thing to highlight in your presentation.
Without further ado, I'd give the floor now to Lu Kazakov North Macedonia to make her presentation.
Thank you, Chair.
Thank you for possibility again to express what is the status of the GF drink project.
Yes, on the first day I already explained what is the main gaps and what is the challenge in implementation of monitoring and assessment and sharing data in this area, but take into consideration what gaps, what will be recognized Actually, now we have a second stage of the project, what all these activity will be improved and will take into consideration.
Actually, the two main activities will be implemented in the phase of the second project activity, that is the monitoring and upgrading of integrated water management system.
Regarding of the monitoring activities, something it's very important that now will be designed a multi proposed transboundary monitoring program, which will be cover not only surface and groundwater body, but also the sediment loads, water leaving resource, and et cetera We will be taking consideration also the water for bathing, drinking water, and all other kind of using of the water.
This kind of monitoring will be developed based on the assessment of monitoring capacity, gaps, and needs across the basin and presented for the adopting by the drink core group, along with enhanced capacity and implementation this.
The design will be based of assessment of existing monitoring program and capacities at the riparian level and require needs and procedure for the riparian to perform the monitoring in the drain basin at the transboundary level in accordance with the European Directives, but also with strategic guidelines from the Water Convention.
The assessment is expected to focus on the following aspects.
That's monitoring sites and parameters, including parameters to be monitored for H aciational pollution, frequency of monitoring, methodology, and protocols, equipment, opportunity for sharing analytical laboratory capability across riparian country, also training requirements, quality assurance, and quality control procedure, and also financial requirements.
What is also important to underlined that aiming to increase accuracy of monitoring data and reduce cost.
The project will explore opportunity to work with international and riparian level partners to set up a program to assess level of main pollutants as mean of complementary riparian level and transboundary monitoring program using remote sensor, pollution models, and also artificial intelligence.
I would like here to say that this program activities, it is ongoing.
The negotiation period with the potential institute, it will be implemented and it's according to the TR.
The process activity will be started in June 2026 and will be finished in 2000.
Eight.
What it means that these activities, it's already in preparatory phase.
Regarding another activity, what's information management systems and data sharing, we already mentioned that this system is already established in the first phase of the project.
Now we are going to upgrade this format, taking into consideration the all gaps and all actually missing information, what happened in the process of implementation.
Regarding of that, the second phase will be focused on identification of the status of existing relevant riparian information management system and analyzing of historical drink data for incorporating of integrated management system.
Also defining of additional drink data management requirements.
We'll be focused on agreement of the data processing procedure and change formats at the regional level.
Also preparation of functional and technical requirements to develop and test the data exchange mechanism, procedure among the Ripian country, also digitalization of historical monitoring data, development and implementation and testing of updated drink based information system version two, A training of the staff.
What now in this moment I would like to say that now we are in the face, actually the global water partnership together with the UNS in the face of the finalizing of the terms of reference and after that, we'll start with the identification of the implementy body and to start with implement this activity.
Thanks.
Mercy B, thank you very much for that presentation.
You've raised some important points there.
I noted the issue of data management system, data seems very crucial to me and you picked up on that.
In the presentation, you referred also to the phase of developing partnerships between the various stakeholders which can be beneficial in the framework of the convention on transboundary waters.
With that, I give the floor to Jean Moanov WAC to make a presentation over to you.
Convention Program of work, EVAC is engaged in the activities related to transboundary groundwater monitoring.
In this regard, I would like to briefly update the working group on the ongoing work related to the Pratt transboundary aquifer.
Which is shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
This aquifer is an important source of mineral and groundwater resources used for water supply, hills, resorts, and other socioeconomic needs of two regions of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
At the same time, it has a limited natural recharge and it's facing increasing pressure.
So historically, this aquifer functioned within more integrated management and observation system.
But today, there is a growing need to strengthen cooperation between two countries, particularly on the joint monitoring and the regular data exchange.
In this context, EVOC with the UNIC Secretariat is supporting analytical and expert work aimed at exploring possible approaches for future bilateral cooperation on this aquiferre.
This work includes analysis of the existing monitoring arrangements, support for expert consultations between countries and the development of bilateral agreement on this aquifer.
At present, initial working consultations with the national partners have already taken place and now we are finalizing analytical background paper which will be submitted to the national ministries.
It's important to say that in this work, we use guidelines and strategies developed under the Water Convention, and we see this process as a practical example of gradual development of cooperation on transboundary groundwater using the tools and platforms of the Water Convention.
That's a brief.
Thank you.
Thank you for that presentation, which highlighted point on the aquifers limited resources, but also the need to bolster cooperation between countries that share that aquifa.
You're also finalizing an article document to be presented to the various ministries of the countries concerned.
With that, we can give the floor then open the floor for questions and comments from the public.
The floor is open.
Can we is everyone shy? Maybe we can have some music to get you in the mood, and then we can start.
Yeah, let's go.
Let's go.
Thank you for giving me the floor.
Just IMSkra just to commend the progress and work on the aquifer in Tashkent shared between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, in that case, because for UNESCO we see how the different projects to be initiated can then be pursued by the various regional partners, especially with that aquifer because all those activities are a follow up to the project which began some ten years ago, supported by Swiss cooperation and implemented by UNESCO with various partners.
On that transboundary aquifer, where we applied the recommended methods of joint characterization among the countries concerned of that deep aquifer, where we collected data, shared data, there was scientific cooperation.
It's a tangible case where scientific cooperation can then lead to cooperation at a high level at political level.
So with the examples and the latest activities presented by EAC, we can really see how this process has really yielded dividends, and I really just wanted to praise that.
Thank you, once again, Unesco for that intervention.
I give the floor then who would like the floor? Who wants the floor? If there are no comments, no further requests for the floor, I think we can give a big round of applause because those were excellent presentations that we had.
La table.
Moving on to the next workshop on ground war in Arab countries that was held in Amman in September 2025.
We hear the outcomes of that workshop.
Skrakir Thank you very much Chair.
Dear colleagues.
Thank you very much for the opportunity that you've granted me to be able to speak before you about a workshop entitled Advancing Sustainable Management of Transboundary groundwater in the Arab Region.
This workshop has been organized by the Water Convention Secretariat Esqui as well as other partners.
Indeed, this workshop took place in Amman in September 2025 with the participation of all Arab states.
Generally speaking, the workshop focused on increasing the capabilities of Arab nations in managing shared waters in a sustainable manner, particularly groundwater, in addition to its focus on the tools that exist under the Convention and promoting the use of modern technology in this sector.
The workshop has supported the Arab states in benefiting from the various support pertaining to SDG Indicator 652, which measures water cooperation among states.
Also actually helps in improving the quality of data exchange between countries.
This was an important platform to have a conversation about how to improve the quality of national reports, as well as to improve coordination between countries that share the same groundwater resources.
The workshop was a brilliant success.
Praise be to God, and we benefited from the remote contribution of members of the convention, including Austria and Poland, and they shared with us their expertise and their valuable experience with the Arab states.
Regarding the next phase, we the General Secretariat of the Water Convention, we are planning to organize more workshops in conjunction with Esqui, particularly now that Jordan has acceded to the Water Convention, making it the second country in the Middle East after Iraq to accede to the convention.
That's it from me.
Thank you all very much.
Merci.
Thank you very much for that presentation on the outcomes of the workshop that was crowned with success.
I want to thank you and if there are no comments there, I think we can let you go and we can ask the public to make new proposals for priority themes that they see fit in terms of events at a regional level, in terms of assessment sharing and data monitoring.
What we propose is if there really are proposals for sharing priority themes, Sharing assessments, follow up on data at regional level, obviously.
No suggestion for thematic, we can organize sub region or region on monitoring or data sharing.
Why people are tight.
Because you have done three days workshop hardly.
I think that not reason.
Physically, we can be tight, but intellectually, spiritually, we cannot We will be presenting you the proposed decision.
Thank you.
Before giving the proposed decision, we want to thank the panelists for the excellent presentation on the results of the successful workshop.
Thank you very much.
I'd like you to give them a very big round of applause.
That's it.
There you go.
I'll read out the proposed decision for your adoption if that is the case or unless there is unless there are any objections.
I will be gaveling it through.
The decisions are first, the working group expressed its appreciation for the support of Jordan and Esquit for organizing the regional workshop on advancing sustainable management of transboundary groundwater in the Arab region.
Taken to Tat September 2025.
The next part of that is the working group invited interested countries to host and partners to support the organization of regional workshops on monitoring, assessment, and data sharing.
There is the draft decision submitted for your approval.
If there are no objections, can we take it? It is adopted.
There we go.
Duly adopted.
The decision is duly adopted.
Item nine, recent activities related to supporting monitoring assessment and information sharing in transboundary basins to address pressures on water resources.
This isn't available in French.
I invite Peter.
Good practices, the version, you can do it.
I give the floor to Eric for a presentation of these points.
Yes.
Very quick presentation.
Now, this is just a good opportunity to inform and remind you of the recent guidance materials that we have developed under the Word Convention on monitoring Assessment and data sharing.
In 2024, we finalized the good practices and lessons learned in data sharing in transboundary basins, which includes 78 case studies, real life examples of data and information sharing, and not only how things are working well, but also difficulties and challenges that countries and joint bodies have faced.
And I think still in the room, we have several contributors also to the publication.
I haven't done a detailed research, but I think it is really probably the biggest compilation of data sharing examples in transboundary basins around.
So very nice publication, a good opportunity to thank all the contributors for the case studies.
And basically, the big news here is that we have it in French.
The French version was finalized for this meeting, and you have probably already seen the copies outside of the hall.
If you wish, you can still grab one with you when you leave.
The other publication developed back in 2023 is the updated strategies for monitoring and assessment of transboundary Rivers, lakes, and groundwaters, which provides step by step approaches and strategies for the development of monitoring, assessment, and data sharing, again, building on global experiences.
This publication is already available in English, French, Russian, Spanish, and even Arabic.
So These are the recent publications that we have developed.
We're working on the translations for the data sharing publication to also provide it in Russian and Spanish and we invite you to use them, disseminate them, take copies with you, but also they are all available online, free for everyone.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Erik, for your quick presentation, which is very interesting.
That I opened the floor.
Who want to take flow is available to take flow.
I call on my colleague, Anna.
Yes.
Thank you very much.
Thanks for promoting these products of the working group on monitoring and assessment that have been coordinated by the Secretariat and developed by the consultants of the Secretariat.
Then, of course, with the wide contribution of the partners, particularly for this good practices and lesson learned in data sharing in transboundary basin.
The idea here is that once the convention and the working group has produced this guidance documents.
Those could also provide contents for a regional workshop where these approaches and methodologies and tools could be discussed and promoted in the regional context.
Actually, the previous agenda item and this one, they go together.
This would also give you an opportunity to think about suitability of a going through this and any earlier documentation also of the water convention.
So this would be the further dissemination and the use of these developed guidance documents.
I think that on the way home you are probably thinking that, maybe, yes, in our region, that would be useful to have this kind of as a joint workshop to discuss the monitoring and assessment and particularly, of course, the data sharing, also the compatibility harmonization of assessment and so forth.
So this would be an opportunity for you to use this material and also to discuss with the Secretariat of the possible support for organizing this workshop or all the other partners of the convention.
Please think about that.
Now if you take a printed copy with you, you can read it on the way home in the plane where you can more easily read the printed copy.
Although I understand you prefer to download it from the web, but printed copies are also good to have.
Use this opportunity also to collect printed copies of those.
And now also in French.
Very good.
The previous example of this Arab region workshop is also something to think about in the other regions where you want to enhance maybe the collaboration with between the existing partners under the Water Convention and maybe the other neighboring countries that are sharing the same river basins or transboundary groundwaters with you, gathering around these guidances and products, guidelines and information compilations from the convention would be a useful start for your joint discussions for monitoring, assessment, and data sharing.
Of course, leading, we can also refer to the previous workshop, also what a new innovative methods there would be.
But that is something to coming in the next phase of our policy brief from the previous from the workshop we just had about this.
That's my comment, inviting you to use these documents and spread the word also to your colleagues when you go home.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ana, for your contribution.
Yes.
Thank you very much for that.
If there are no comments, we will invite to the table.
Up here, we will invite Peter Kovacs, co lead of the sub working group to give us a presentation on the results of the seminar, the global UN seminar, On early warning.
Peter, please come to the podium now.
You are invited here to do your presentation on the UN seminary on early warming system.
Yes.
Yes.
Thank you, Mr.
Chair.
Yes, I want to give you some feedback about the activity of the joint expert group.
But generally, we are responsible for this item, improving water quality and there is a special expert group, which is also serving for that purpose, the joint expert, but we will have some information later.
The main objective of this activity is to support the country's in improving the water quality management also on the transboundary basis.
The main achievements are the development of guidance documents on pollution and on water quality, and also we would like to create a community of experts through the joint expert group.
Last year, we also asked the countries to nominate or renominate experts into the group.
This group already had more than 20 years of existence and produced a lot of guidance document.
All of them is available on the website of the convention.
And we had, let's say, a lot of nomination.
Also, I very appreciate that new countries also have interest to work in this field.
We are dealing with really interesting topics like tailing facility management.
I think it's a worldwide problem and also affecting very heavily the water courses, especially transboundary waters.
So we like to continue in the framework of the joint expert group, the activities related with water pollution prevention.
And as a first step, we had a virtual meeting for the members of the group.
Unfortunately, we have a very limited resources for our work, mainly we are just communicating online and the But later on we might find some solution also to meet personally, which also has a lot of advantage.
During this online meeting, we had 13 countries represented.
You can have a look at the minutes of the meeting as well and we just introduced the activities of the group and also to a foreseen what we intend to do in the future.
The first, let's say major step was a an online seminar on early warning, pollution remediation, and environmental liability.
I had heard different numbers of the number of the participation.
It was a few hundred people participated, maybe close to the 1,000 because it was two days long online meeting and we like to focus on the importance of the prevention.
Prevention is always, let's say, a better solution than remediation later on.
So you can also have some information about the workshop on the website, and we would like to also continue our activities.
As I already mentioned, we had several guidance documents developed in the past.
We are promoting the utilization of these guiding documents.
I mean, adaptation is better than just translating it because every country has a different assets, different needs.
But these publications, most of them are also available on English, French, and Russian languages, so it might be useful, not Arabic and Spanish yet, but who knows? As you see, we are planning some activities.
Everything will depend also on the financing resources.
If we are not able to secure, let's say, money for in person meeting, we can also still online communicate with each other.
But I like to encourage some countries if you have a training exercise related with water pollution prevention or mitigation.
You can invite the joint expert group and we can use these opportunities also to have a back to BC meeting.
As we had also a BC to BAC meeting in the workshop which was held in Bratislava a few years ago, there are a lot of opportunities for the future.
Yes.
Of course, we have partners and donors who are also supporting our activities.
You see some of them.
Germany usually supporting us with some financial resources.
Bratislava Slovakia gave us a location for the meeting, so you can support us also in kind, which is also very important.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Peter, for your presentation.
You take that in the time.
Thank you very much for your efficacity.
You have the floor.
Please, I'm sure you're fit and raring to go, so please make your comments and suggestions and ask your questions.
Yeah, Gambia, you have the honor to take a flow.
I wish to thank the joint expert group on industrial accidents through Mr.
Kovach.
I think this is a very wonderful gesture to extend to other parts parties to be able to be engaged in the industrial accidents or pollution prevention I wish to share that of recent, the Gambia has been experiencing oil spillage from oil vessels when they try to evacuate the oil into the depot.
Normally, there is if there is a fault with the pile, So normally, there has been occurrence of oil spillage and then can go into the estuary where you have some mangroves and you have some impact on the ecology.
I think this is something that we will closely look at and we see what is possible.
Thanks so much for extending this support or invitation for other countries to participate.
Thanks so much.
Thank you very much, Mr.
Landing, for your comments.
Who want to take a flow? Washington, you have the floor.
Go ahead.
To add that it's a good initiative.
As we know is that W UNDR is working also with various countries to develop the early warning roadmap.
It will also be very good to work with these countries to see those warning systems that we are already working with them to develop.
Maybe how could we include some of these warnings to be part of that? Maybe it will be good to know some of the focal points that are basically you are working with so that when we are developing the roadmap, they could also be included in that stakeholder discussion.
Thank you.
Thank you very much, Washington, for these comments and these information, yes.
We want to take a floor again? If there are no further requests for the floor, then our Great Secretary Sagar is here to say a few words.
If there are no comments, I'd like to tell you that the working party is invited to note that the working party on Integrated Water Resource Management will have a session jointly with the working party on monitoring and assessment to be held 31st May to third June, I think.
Sorry for that because I think me too, I am tired.
The reason why I have forgotten one of the important point is about the proposal decision.
Sorry for that.
Yes.
I will read the proposed decision.
I think it's just a little bit of tiredness.
We've been speaking for three days.
The working group invited countries and partners to make use of and promote the publications, good practices and lessons learned in data sharing in transboundary basins.
The second publication, updated strategies for monitoring and assessment of transboundary rivers, lakes, and groundwaters.
The working group invites for use to be made of all these publications, and this is submitted to you for your approval.
If there are no comments, yes.
No comments.
So this is so adopted unanimously.
Thank you very much.
So we're nearing the end of our session, not long to go.
I'd like to tell you that the next session on the joint work of the different working groups on integrated water resource management and the working group on assessment and monitoring is to be held from 31st May to third June 2027 in Geneva.
That brings us to other business.
If you have any comments and any other business, then this is the time to make them now before we close the session.
If there are no requests for the floor, then the Great secretary, Sona, a very respected secretary, and all the other staff on the Water convention, we thank you and Sonya you have the floor.
Thank you.
I think we are coming to the end of this three days meeting where I believe we have exchanged a lot, learned from each other.
I heard how other countries are exchanging data.
Using new technologies, but also still using the old traditional technologies because while thinking about new, we shouldn't also forget the good practice which we have had for years and decades.
I really hope that you have all benefited from those three days the same way like we have.
I think it was clearly useful to have a combination of a technical seminar with the more formal working group setting today, even with very practical, um, field example of the citizen science, and bringing together so many partners from the technical side, from the financial side, which has been able to look at both the technical side, but also the policy dimension, the legal dimension of monitoring and assessment, and, um, which has been clearly enriching and hopefully will enable you all to take home some lessons.
I would like to encourage you all to apply the lessons you've learned here to speak about it to your colleagues, country in your ministry or your Euro based organization, or to neighboring countries, or to other authorities, other ministries at national level, to use the publications which have been presented here, also to contribute in the future.
For example, to the publication on conjunctive management of surface and groundwater, which is currently under development, and certainly we were not able here to solve all problems.
It's just a step in a longer term process, and many partners stand ready to further assist you and work with you in the future.
Similarly, underwater Convention, the work will continue.
We're in the middle now of our current work program running 2025-2027, and we're starting to prepare for the next meeting of the parties to be held in Senegal next October with Fran So I'll speak French.
The next meeting of parties, as you know, will take place in October next year.
In Dhaka, we're very happy and we're looking forward.
This is going to be the first time for a meeting of parties to take place in Africa.
Preparations have just started.
We are going to be preparing the future work program under the convention.
As I said at the beginning, I invite you to contribute in the coming months and weeks.
Tell us your ideas and tell us your requirements.
There's a very important event, the United Nations Conference on Water to be held in December in the United Arab Emirates, which we discussed this morning.
Why is this important? Because as we know, All of us are technical experts, but we have to elevate the importance of water towards policy makers and decision makers.
At the UN Water Conference, there are many ministers and even a few heads of state, and that's an opportunity to raise the importance of transboundary cooperation.
The Water Convention and that's why I encourage you, those of you who are in the process, to accelerate your accession process before the conference.
We're going to try to organize an event during the conference where countries may submit their instruments of accession.
Even we're not yet 100% sure if this is going to work, but we were encouraged to hear this morning that countries are in the process of accession.
But it's not the Secretariat which can do everything, even if we do as much as we possibly can.
The Water Convention is a veritable community of parties and all the partners who are supporting that convention and also the other countries which have already acceded to the convention, which can help those who are still in the process of acceding.
That's why we've established a twinning program, and we're working with many partners here and I encourage Longstanding parties and partners to support the newcomers who are still in the process of acceding the convention is therefore everyone for long standing parties and new parties and the long standing parties must continue to make their voices heard and support the convention and the cause of water and transboundary cooperation in general.
I'm I would like to use this occasion to say a huge thank you from the side of the Secretariat, to all participants, to the partners who have been very important in preparing the workshop yesterday, to the technical staff who have been helping us over those three days, the interpreters who have been greatly uh, helpful for the first time in six languages, as we said earlier on today, so that we could better understand each other.
Um, and huge thank you also to the elite parties and co chairs, Arnsina and Vaccari, for guiding us through the day.
And everybody else who has contributed through presentations, through preparing background papers, including consultants and others who have helped in this regard.
Finally, once again, I would like to hugely thank the different Secretariat team members who have been helping a lot, and working on this meeting for weeks and months.
I would like to quickly ask them all to stand up.
Those who are still in the room, and with this, let's give them all an applause.
Please stand up, all the secretary members who have been working hard over the last weeks and months.
Thank you, Merck Garcias back to Spasse, back to the co chair.
Merci.
Thank you, Sonia.
Decrease in The ladies of the Secretariat of the convention are numerous Cessna, Francesca, Chantal, and so many others within the Secretariat of the convention.
These are great ladies and they're pushing people to accede to the convention.
This makes us feel good, and we cannot take up our pilgrim staff to do the same as these great ladies, but they're also dynamic gentlemen Julian, my friend Eric.
And Com, and so many others.
Now, we must try to keep up with them in promoting our common cause.
My country in Lamk We're going to do the best we can to encourage our peers to accede to the convention because we can't be chair president of Lamko and be a party to the convention unless we encourage others to join.
Then we can pull those with us.
In our association towards the convention, and then the highest authorities of our country will become acquainted with the convention and the greatest countries of West Africa, Niger, Egyia, Convore and Senegal.
They're all parties to the convention and I hope that we will be able to convince the others to accede, and we will try everything we can to do that.
We invite you all to the West African Water Forum Abidjan 25th to the 26th.
You're all of you invited and we will review the convention family and see how we can encourage others to join us in the convention so that the 11th session in Dhaka is a great success where all countries of Africa will all become part of the process to accede to the convention.
Before I close, let me thank the interpreters who help us to understand each other.
We can't understand each other.
Without them, I speak French, some people speak Arabic or French or Russian or Spanish and we need these ladies and gentlemen to help us to understand.
So I raise my hat to the gentleman and I toss flowers to the ladies, and I thank all the participants.
Va.
Thank you very much for this applause for our interpreters and I also thank the participants, the panelists, the Secretariat staff of the convention for whom I have great respect because of their excellent work.
Congratulations to all Bravo and have a good journey home.
Now I declare closed this workshop, which has brought us here together and I especially thank Finland, co chair here for this working group and Peter.
We are co heads of the subgroup and Eric, my coach, Chantal, everybody.
I thank everybody.
Cis Va Va.
Thank you.
Thank you.