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Water as an Asset for Peace: Conclusions and Recommendations

States and the international community as a whole should 4. Quantity and Quality: Strengthening of
support non-governmental organizations that engage with Knowledge-Based and Data-Driven Decision
non-state actors for the full respect of IHL, such as Geneva Call Making and Cooperation
which reaches out to non-state actors through the “Deeds of
Commitment” in the effort to strengthen their respect for IHL in Knowledge relating to water quality and quantity issues has
general and the protection of water resources in particular. to be improved at all levels. A particular matter of priority is
knowledge on groundwater and aquifers, which represent more
Further consideration should be given to proposals to establish: than 90 percent of unfrozen global freshwater reserves.
▪ An independent international body mandated to gather
information about destruction and water supply cuts as well as Investing in and cooperating for improved water data will to
build trust and broader cooperation, and thus also contribute to
to foster technical assistance during protracted armed conflicts; the prevention of potential conflicts.
▪ A mechanism to monitor compliance with International
Humanitarian Law and reparations to victims of violations; More specifically we recommend:
▪ Improved cooperation among the relevant international ▪ Existing mechanisms for water data collection, storage and
organizations and agencies to manage post-conflict
environmental assessments and remedial measures; access should be improved further and provide for better
integration of spatial and disaggregated socio-political data.
▪ A rapid reaction water engineering military capacity to restore This development should include innovative, non-traditional
basic water and sanitation services to civilian populations, data sources such as crowdsourcing in order to strengthen
and to sensitive sites such as hospitals and refugee camps, data collection processes.
in particular.
▪ Particular attention needs to be paid to the proper
understanding of asymmetries among countries and sectors
3. An Ounce of Prevention: International of activity within river basins and to developing methodologies
Water Law and Transboundary Water that will help the efforts of conflict prevention with timely and
Cooperation credible information.
▪ States Parties to treaties establishing transboundary water
We strongly recommend to all States sharing transboundary cooperation systems should strengthen these systems
water resources (rivers and lakes, as well as aquifers) to conclude by prioritizing issues of water quality, pollution and
transboundary water agreements. Where such agreements contamination.
already exist we recommend their strengthening along the lines ▪ In this context, the Panel recommends the systematic
of the principles and norms of International Water Law. application of the relevant provisions of International Water
Law and the existing international standards (WHO and
States should adhere to the principles of International Water Law FAO) and, as appropriate, the relevant regional standards.
and promote their full implementation. The Panel calls for wide These standards should guide decision making by States,
accession by States to the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention including decisions relating to the strengthening of relevant
and the 1992 UNECE Water Convention, now open for accession institutional structures.
to all UN Member States.
▪ The existing data and knowledge bases administered by
different UN agencies should be brought together into a
Furthermore, we recommend intensified work on supplemental coherent system. The Panel supports the coordination work
instruments to the two UN Conventions, including “soft law
instruments” such as guidelines and procedures facilitating being done by UN-Water in this regard and recommends that
the UN General Assembly stimulates and supports this effort,
transboundary water cooperation, especially with respect to the including through the UN World Water Assessment Program
allocation of water, hydropower development, and irrigation.
and the experience of relevant non-governmental global
water science programs.
We also encourage the use of UNECE Water Convention’s
cooperation mechanisms, specifically the resort by countries ▪ As a matter of a long-term vision, the Panel advocates the
and civil society to the Convention’s Implementation Committee. establishment of a strong global data system and monitoring
mechanism on the basis of existing work. Its task should be
The UN General Assembly should encourage States to strengthen to monitor and analyze water quality issues globally and
their international water cooperation and to avail themselves especially in transboundary basins and aquifers, with a
of the advantages provided by the conventions embodying view to providing reliable information to the public on short
International Water Law. The General Assembly should also notice.
consider ways to develop effective institutional and financial
mechanisms to support transboundary water cooperation. 5. People’s Diplomacy, Inter-Sectoral Water
Management and Decision Making
The role of civil society organizations in promoting transboundary
water cooperation and in the monitoring and implementation of We recommend that inter-sectoral water management,
International Water Law should be promoted. including the management of transboundary water projects

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