Namibia has become the first Southern African country to agree to the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UN Water Convention).
The country’s agreement seeks to consolidate the long-standing commitment to transboundary water cooperation in Southern Africa.
“As the first Party in Southern Africa, Namibia opens the door to more countries in the region joining this unique treaty to help address water challenges across national borders, which is especially crucial due to rising climate change impacts,” the United Nations Economic Commission Europe, Executive Secretary, Olga Algayerova said.
According to the SDG indicator, Namibia is one of only two states in Africa to have its transboundary freshwater bodies protected by operational management arrangements.
Namibia’s Minister for Agriculture, Water and Land Reform Calle Schlettwein said the principles and regulations of the Water Convention align with the country’s policies on transboundary water cooperation and integrated water resources management.
“Transboundary water cooperation stands as the cornerstone of our nation’s water security, and I firmly believe that through this accession, Namibia will not only reap substantial benefits from its participation in this global legal framework but will also have the opportunity to engage with fellow members in promoting the principles of peace and equity in transboundary water sharing,” the Minister said.
Namibia has ratified basin agreements and is a member state of basin organisations including the Okavango-Cubango River Commission shared with Angola and Botswana; the Orange-Senqu River Commission shared with South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho; the Zambezi Watercourse Commission with all other riparian states of Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; and the Cuvelai Watercourse Commission with Angola.
At a regional level, Namibia is a party to the 2000 Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses and to the 1997 UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses (Watercourses Convention).
