Transboundary

Current Activity:

Third Workshop on
Transboundary Water Cooperation:
"Sharing Benefits from Transboundary Water Management". 20-22 January 2010 in Vientiane, Laos. Read more

Key Activities on Transboundary Issues

Transboundary Water Cooperation Workshop Series are international workshops organized by Danish Water Forum and Technical Advisory Services, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark

The third workshop on Transboundary Water Cooperation was centered on Sharing Benefits from Transboundary Water Management in The Nile, SADC/Zambezi Basins and the Mekong, and was held in Vientiane, Laos, January 20-22, 2010.
The second workshop on Transboundary Water Cooperation was arranged at a time with sharp focus on Water Cooperation and Climate Change in The Nile, SADC/Zambezi Basins and the Mekong and was held in Copenhagen, December 1-2, 2008.
The first workshop on Transboundary Water Cooperation highlighted stakeholder participation in transboundary water planning, management and decision making as well as national commitment to transboundary water cooperation. The workshop was held in Copenhagen, March 1-2, 2007.
Side event during World Water Week in Stockholm, September 5th, 2010: "Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Nile, SADC/Zambezi Basin and the Mekong". The side event facilitated a discussion of the key aspects to include in the following Transboundary Workshop. Read minutes
Seminar during World Water Week in Stockholm, August 18th 2009: "Transboundary Water Cooperation in the Nile, SADC/Zambezi Basin and the Mekong". The seminar addressed lessons learned and key challenges in transboundary water cooperation. Read summary

As a key issue DWF is promoting the cooperation between nations sharing water of a transboundary nature. With water becoming an increasingly critical resource, conflicts of rights and access, both in regards to development and food production, receive growing attention. As more than 40 % of the global population live in basins shared by two ore more countries, it is even more critical to maintain good relations across borders and respecting riparian nations as the water levels and impact of climate change becomes ever more evident. Transboundary water cooperation is furthermore important for improving water management.

The countries and governments across the world with territories in river basins have found it rational to enter into bilateral or multilateral water governance agreements on how to cooperate on water use and at times on water quality, in order to overcome challenges and conflict risks in transboundary river basins. According to INBO there were more than 130 river basin agreements globally in 2010, but many of the River Basin Organizations face problems in upholding the expectations of the agreements, as water increasingly is becoming a strategic resource in the development of a country.

To overcome political and technical challenges in water sharing, an alternative to sharing water could be sharing the benefits derived from water use, which is known as benefit sharing.

The areas where DWF is primarily engaged in transboundary water cooperation is in the SADC area, in the Nile Basin and in the Mekong.