Turkmenistan accedes to UN Convention on Use of Transboundary Water courses

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) welcomed a decision of the Turkmen Parliament to join the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, UN News Centre said in its press release.

The document was adopted by the Majlis (Parliament) of Turkmenistan. The Convention was adopted on March 17, 1992 in Helsinki (Finland) and entered into force on Oct.6, 1996.

According to the UN press release, Turkmenistan has become the thirty-ninth Party to the UNECE Water Convention 90 days after depositing its instrument of accession with the United Nations Secretary-General.

The decision by the Turkmen Parliament represents a major step towards strengthening transboundary water cooperation and integrated water resources management (IWRM). Transboundary cooperation on water is very relevant for Turkmenistan, which is 80 to 90 per cent desert.

Bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Afghanistan, water resources in Turkmenistan mainly come from the agreed water shares of four transboundary rivers: the Amu Darya, Murgab, Tedjen and Atrek, with the Amu Darya supplying almost 90 per cent of the total supply.

Accession to the UNECE Water Convention by Turkmenistan is also highly important for political, economic and environmental cooperation in Central Asia, the press release says.