As 3-day Water Convention workshop kicks off

By Gabriel Ewepu – Abuja

The Federal Government through the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, expressed commitment to acceding Water Convention.

Adamu stated this in his opening address while declaring a 3-Day National Advocacy/Sensitization Workshop on Nigeria’s Accession to the ‘Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes’ for Key Stakeholders open in Abuja.

He said acceding to the Convention provides an additional legal and institutional cooperation framework essential in the management of these transboundary waters.

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He said: “Acceding to the Water Convention is important to us as a country because the two main surface water bodies in Nigeria, namely, rivers Niger and Benue are transboundary in nature.

“Another transboundary water body is the Lake Chad which is shared by four countries including Nigeria.  This is not peculiar to Nigeria as more than forty percent of the universal populations depend on transboundary waters for their livelihoods.  

“Therefore, acceding to this Convention provides an additional legal and institutional cooperation framework which is essential in the management of these transboundary waters to ensure environmental sustainability, economic growth, and conflict prevention.”

He also maintained that the Federal Ministry of Water Resources is desirous of contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 which seeks to – “Ensure Availability and Sustainable management of water and Sanitation for all”.

“Target 6.5 focuses on transboundary cooperation to implement integrated water resources management and the Water Convention is an excellent tool to achieve this target.

“Be rest assured that the Ministry will do all in its power to facilitate Nigeria’s accession to the UN Water Convention. 

“I urge you to give this workshop the attention it deserves and look forward to the integrated Accession Roadmap that will be developed during the course of this workshop”, he added.

In a remark, the Chair of the  Bureau of the Water Convention, Harry Livv, asserted that, “International practise during last decades show, that principles and obligations of the Water Convention improves water resources management and water governance. So, in large extent there are many positive examples about that.

“During last decade many studies showed, that we all need to pay more attention to ecosystem and water resources as a whole, both for surface and for groundwater.

“Here,  enhanced  systems for transboundary water resource management and implementation of relevant plans are effective and can help.

“Work in frame of Water Convention can also strengthen cooperation in the basins they share. Cooperation between countries also. That is very important to have peaceful and constructive management in practice.

“Political will is important factor, as we see in many places.Participation in the Water Convention and compliance with its provisions serve a clear evidence of the willingness of riparian countries to cooperate and thus enhance the eligibility of international funding.

“Funding is key factor to improve real environmental situation in basin. So I hope, that during this workshop we are able to discuss over several important topics, with the idea speed up accession to the Water Convention.”  

In another goodwill message, the Secretary of the Water Convention, Dr Sonja Koeppel, pointed that effective global legal and intergovernmental framework needed for shared waters, including  groundwaters.

Koeppel also explained that the Water Convention workshop represents an important milestone and unique opportunity for thoroughly analysing the obligations of the Convention, the practical tools it offers to support countries’ efforts, and the benefits associated with its accession.

She said: “At the global level, Nigeria is already a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, commonly referred to as the 1997 Watercourses Convention.

“However, Nigeria, like many other countries worldwide, still faces significant challenges in transboundary water cooperation and national water management, such as increasing water scarcity due to economic development and population growth, but also climate change impacts, floods, increasing pollution, and others.

“This leads partly to conflicts and competition over water resources.For this reason, an effective global legal and intergovernmental framework for cooperation and sustainable management of shared waters, including groundwaters, is needed: such a unique platform is provided by the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention).”

According to  her, the Water Convention comes with a lot of benefits; which helps countries to address challenges.

“Accession can enable support by the community of Parties, experience-sharing with basins and countries worldwide, facilitate access to financing and raising the country profile at the international level.

“It also strengthens national water management and transboundary cooperation. It offers a global platform where to bring forward your concerns, challenges and good practices”, she pointed.

Vanguard News Nigeria