Transcript Mr Ville Niinistö Minister of Environment Finland

SECOND
ASSESSMENT
of transboundary rivers,
lakes and groundwaters
Mr Ville Niinistö
Minister of the Environment
Finland
General
• The most comprehensive, up-to-date
overview of the transboundary waters in
the European and Asian parts of the
UNECE region:
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more than 140 rivers,
25 lakes,
about 200 groundwaters and
25 Ramsar Sites and other wetlands of
transboundary importance
Main transboundary surface waters and groundwaters in
Western, Central and Eastern Europe
Main transboundary surface waters and groundwaters in
Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia
General (cont’d)
• Covers pressure factors on transboundary
waters, their quantity and quality status,
and transboundary impacts, as well as
responses and future trends
• More emphasis compared to the 1st
assessment on:
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Groundwaters
Institutional issues
Climate change impacts
Biodiversity and ecosystems
Common issues
in the whole ECE region
• Uneven level of transboundary
cooperation and related deficiences
• Policy integration still weak
• Agriculture (diffuse pollution, water
use)
• Hydromorphological changes
• Climate change
Video 2
Further efforts needed
• Stronger water and environmental
governance and integration of sectoral
policies
• Stronger transboundary water cooperation,
both in the EU and in the rest of the region;
even truer for transboundary groundwaters.
• South-Eastern Europe and Eastern Europe,
but also the Caucasus: the approximation to
EU legislation is important and should be
continued.
• Address gaps in knowledge
• Climate change: more comprehensive and
collaborative research on impacts and
adaptation, development of adaptation
Future of transboundary
water assessments
• The third comprehensive assessment
only in 8-10 years
• A special edition within 4 years with a more
limited scope and coverage: focus on a
specific theme, assessment limited to a
representative number of basins
• Options to be discussed and decision to be
taken by the 6th MoP of the Water
Convention
• Partnerships sought
Welcome to the side event
on the 2nd assessment
Thursday, 22 September 2011
13.00- 15.00
Room А7, Palace of Independence
For more information and for downloading the
publication and the Executive Summary, please refer
to
http://live.unece.org/env/water/assessment_activ.htm
Many thanks to the following partners
for their generous contribution to the
Second Assessment