Managing Transboundary Waters for Sustainable Development

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A water-secure world
ManagingTransboundary Waters for
Sustainable Development:
International Experience
Dr Claudia Sadoff
Director General
InternationalWater Management Institute
November 1, 2018
1st Lancang-MekongWater Resources Cooperation Forum

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Overview
1. Transboundary waters &
the SDGs
2. Why transboundary
waters matter
3. Cooperation & benefit
sharing
4. Examples of transboundary
cooperation

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TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS & SDGs
SDG 6: Ensure availability & sustainable management
of water & sanitation for all

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SDG 6.5: Integrated water resources management (IWRM)
SDG 6.5: By 2030, implement integrated water resources
management at all levels, including through transboundary
cooperation as appropriate
• Indicator 6.5.1: Degree of IWRM implementation
• Indicator 6.5.2: Proportion of transboundary basin
area with an operational arrangement for water
cooperation

SDG 6.5.2: Transboundary cooperation
“…a bilateral or multilateral treaty,
convention, agreement or other formal
arrangement, such as a memorandum
of understanding, between riparian
countries that provides a framework for
cooperation on transboundary water
management”
A cooperative
arrangement is
defined in the SDG
methodology as:
SDG 6.5.2: Proportion of transboundary basin area with an
operational arrangement for water cooperation

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• A joint body, mechanism, or commission
for transboundary cooperation
• Regular formal [meetings]
communications at least once a year
• There is a joint or coordinated water
management plan(s) or joint objectives
• There is a regular exchange of data and
information, at least once per year
SDG 6.5.2: Transboundary cooperation
A cooperative
arrangement is
considered
operational if it
meets all the
following criteria:
Both ‘structure’ & ‘process’ needed for effective cooperation

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Global overview of SDG 6.5.2
Proportion of
transboundary total
basin area (surface
and groundwater)
with an operational
arrangement for
cooperation
Source: McCracken and Meyer (2018) J. Hydrol. 563, 1-12.

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Gap between transboundary surface water and
Proportion of
total
transboundary
area with an
operational
agreement
Source: McCracken and Meyer (2018) J. Hydrol. 563, 1-12.
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Africa America Asia and the
Middle East
Europe
River Basin Aquifer Total
groundwater cooperation

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SDG 6 Synthesis Report 2018 (UN-Water)
WHY TRANSBOUNDARY WATERS MATTER
Water relates to all SDGs
Water relates to all
human, economic &
environmental activity
It is central to
achieving the SDGs

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More than half of the world’s waters are transboundary
• 60% of global freshwater flows
• 286 transboundary rivers,
covering about 50% of global
land surface
• 592 transboundary aquifers,
underlying 20% of global land
surface
• 50% of global population relies
on transboundary water
resources
International River Basins
Transboundary Aquifers

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Growing stress & growing reliance on transboundary waters
• Pressure on shared resources
will grow as economies &
populations grow
• Climate change alters
availability, variability &
extremes – increasing demand
for water storage infrastructure
• Infrastructure development
likely to be needed but can
impact all users ‘closed basins’
IPCC 2018

Top 5 global risks
in terms of impact
2018World Economic Forum Global Risks Report
2015 2016 2017 2018
Transboundary
conflict & cooperation
2,000 incidents in transboundary basins 1990-2008.
Twice as many cooperative events as conflictual.
Rising potential risks and tensions

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COOPERATION & BENEFIT SHARING
Why do countries cooperate?
Countries cooperate
when they believe the
benefits of cooperation
are greater than the
costs of cooperation
Benefits motivate
cooperation
The choice between
cooperation & conflict
depends on perceptions of
relative benefits

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Four types of benefits
Sadoff &
Grey, 2002
Environmental:
Increasing benefits
To the river
Improved
ecosystem
sustainability,
conservation &
water quality
Economic:
Increasing benefits
From the river
Improved
productivity and
flood, drought &
sediment
management
Political:
Decreasing costs
Because of the river
Policy shift toward
cooperation &
development
Indirect:
Increasing benefits
Beyond the river
Broader regional
cooperation &
integration

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What is benefit sharing?
Benefit sharing is a framework to facilitate cooperation by
helping to identify, optimize & distribute benefits
Shifts focus away from sharing water (zero sum)
to sharing the benefits derived from water (elastic)

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Knowledge Sharing
o Data & information sharing – Flows, floods, droughts, sediment, fisheries
Project Design
o Project design, location, scale – irrigation, flood protection, ecosystems
Ancillary Investments – creating a ‘Basket of Benefits’
o Ancillary investments – additional to core infrastructure to broaden reach of
benefits, e.g., rural electrification, local infrastructure, power trade
Mechanisms for Sharing Benefits

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Economic & Financial Arrangements
o Payment for benefits – fisheries, watershed mgmt., water delivery
o Compensation for costs – inundated land
o Purchase agreements – power
o Financing & ownership arrangements – loans or joint ownership
Institutional & Policy Development
o Operating procedures – dam operations for flood, drought, fisheries
o River basin organization - coordination, transparency, fairness
o Treaties and legal agreements – to formalize relations
Mechanisms for Sharing Benefits (cont’d)

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TRANSBOUNDARY COOPERATION
What counts as a cooperative solution?
It is not an ‘all or nothing’ choice
• “Right” level of effort
depends on potential
benefits
• And the costs of capturing
benefits

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A cooperation continuum
Unilateral action Joint action
Cooperation continuum
Monitoring
Information sharing
Communication &
notification
Regional
assessments
Adapt national plans to
capture regional gains
Identify, negotiate &
implement national
investments that capture
cooperative gains
Coordinated
infrastructure operation
Joint institutions
Joint investment
Joint project
assessment &
design
Integration
Sadoff & Grey, 2005

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• More isn’t always better
• Cooperation is iterative, so equity is key
• The ‘right’ level of cooperation can change
over time

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Nile Basin
The Nile River
Burundi, Congo DRC, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan Tanzania, Uganda
• Information sharing (Nile Basin Initiative)
• Coordination (notifications for water-related investment)
• Challenge: Infrastructure development
– Reservoir filling and operations

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Nile Basin Colorado River
• History of treaties & challenges & solutions
• Joint Monitoring
• Coordinated Infrastructure operations:
• Water banking
• Environmental flows
• Drought planning

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Nile Basin Colorado River Senegal River
• Joint, indivisible ownership of infrastructure
• Infrastructure is managed and operated by
an empowered River Basin Organization
(OMVS)
• Cost & benefit sharing according to a
negotiated ‘key’

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Lessons from Global Experience
1. Cooperation is an enduring
challenge – with many answers
2. Most successes build information,
institutions, capacity & trust
3. The ‘right’ level of cooperation
may change over time – driven
risks and opportunities
4. Climate change & economic
integration are often key drivers

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Key questions for enhancing beneficial cooperation
in the Lancang-Mekong River System
1. What is the ‘right’ level and
focus of cooperation for the
Lancang-Mekong?
2. Is the river system prepared for
climate change?
3. Are the river’s resources being
sustainably managed &
optimized?
4. Are the information systems &
institutional mechanisms in
place to achieve these goals?

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Thank you

Managing Transboundary Waters for Sustainable Development

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