About 2 billion people worldwide depend on groundwater supplies, which include 273 transboundary aquifer systems.
The Conference will provide the opportunity to present an update of the world inventory of transboundary aquifers.
Finally, it proposes a progressive, multi-pronged approach for implementing the concerted, equitable and sustainable management of transboundary aquifer systems.
Many stakeholders (universities, local communities, NGOs, local authorities, etc.) have been involved in the design of the transboundary biosphere reserve.
In just over a decade, ISARM has mapped 400 transboundary aquifers, including five in Africa that had never been accurately studied before.
Be it a transboundary river basin or aquifer, or a water pump built for a rural village, examples of cooperation apparently abound.
The goal was to convene a meeting of high level experts in transboundary cooperation, biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of land and water resources.
This transboundary is located in the Central European Biogeographical Region, and is characterized by boreal coniferous forests and temperate zone deciduous forest at the junction.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters (IW) focal area targets transboundary water systems, such as shared river basins, lakes, groundwater and large marine ecosystems.
Our planet counts nearly 276 transboundary basins and as many transboundary aquifers. 148 countries in the world share at least one basin with one or several countries.
The methodological guide first recalls the main issues at stake regarding transboundary aquifers and the need for a more comprehensive approach based on IWRM principles (Part I).
In developing the thematic area, UNESCO is a leader in the areas of: transboundary surface and groundwater, water quality, integrated water resource management and climate change adaptation and water.
To develop an inventory of existing transboundary monitoring systems.
To create and maintain a database on water and the environment by use of official, validated national data complementary to the EUROWATERNET, related to transboundary water bodies (rivers, lakes and coastal waters).
ISARM2010 will bring together leading international transboundary aquifer management experts to discuss new concepts, approaches and technologies for dealing with transboundary aquifer problems within various contexts in both developed and developing countries.
The LAM demonstrates, in a concrete way, how water law and science need to interact in order to provide transboundary watercourse States with the guidance necessary to devise an effective national water policy.
Cultural landscapes, transboundary sites, thematic programmes dedicated to Marine Heritage, World Heritage Forests, Sustainable Tourism, Earthen Architecture, and Small Island Developing States have all been established to address the specific needs of these sites.
Meanwhile, the UNESCO-IHP's Internationally Shared Waters Resource Management programme (ISARM) has assisted the United Nations in drafting the first international law on transboundary aquifers, due to be discussed in October during the UN General Assembly.
Exchange of ideas will seek to provide indications for new directions in transboundary aquifer management, as well as draw recommendations for the formulation of new policies and implementation elements such as guidelines and educational tools.
Within this context, UNESCO has assisted the GEF in the formulation of a conceptual framework for strategic action on groundwater and transboundary aquifers, and in the establishment of a portfolio of groundwater projects addressing key global resources and issues.
The Year will highlight the history of successful water cooperation initiatives, as well as identify burning issues on water education, water diplomacy, transboundary water management, financing cooperation, national and international legal frameworks, and the linkages with the Millennium Development Goals.
UNESCO-IHP through its networks and partners actively contributes to the implementation of the Ramsar Convention in particular by identifying and inventorying transboundary aquifers and groundwater dependent ecosystems that are vital for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Coordinate with national and international geoscience authorities and policy makers on research, technology transfer and public awareness raising programmes on the use of remote sensing for environmental monitoring, geohazard mitigation, georesource modeling, transboundary geoscience map integration, geoengineering, climate change and environmental geology.
The Director-General congratulated the Government of Uruguay for taking the initiative to establish a Regional Centre (UNESCO category II) on Transboundary Aquifers and Groundwater Management for Latin America and the Caribbean, which is expected to contribute to the implementation of International Hydrological Programme (IHP) activities.
Regarding cooperation in international river basins, both Le Duc Trung (Mekong River Commission Secretariat) and Jean-Francois Donzier (International Network of Basin Organizations - INBO) stressed the importance of securing national and international political will for the sustainable management of transboundary river basins and transboundary aquifer systems.
With 148 countries sharing at least one transboundary river basin and two thirds of the world's 276 river basins being shared by two countries, cooperation is the key to preserving water resources and protecting the environment, but also to fostering and maintaining peaceful relations within and among communities.
In coordination with the Regional hydrologist at the Regional Bureau for Sciences in Nairobi and the Division of Water Sciences at Headquarters, and through an active partnership with the National IHP Committees, implement the water sciences programme in the cluster countries, directed towards integrated and sustainable water resources management and transboundary cooperation.
Historically, transboundary cooperation has been difficult but the hundreds of treaties signed between riparian states and the institutions created to manage and use transboundary waters in an equitable and sustainable manner around the world show that sharing a resource as precious as water can be a catalyst for cooperation rather than conflicts.
The likely impact includes forest conversion to agricultural land, a drop in biological diversity as a result of monocropping and the massive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides, unsustainable levels of water abstraction and a greater risk of water-related conflicts with local communities and neighbouring States sharing the same transboundary river systems.
As the Delhi (India) native thanked delegates for selecting her as the winner of the International Year of Water Cooperation slogan contest and adopting her message as the official 2013 slogan, she said it was important for humanity to understand the deeper meaning behind her words, and work towards resolving transboundary issues involving water sharing.
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