Nigeria formally joins UN Water Convention.

In an unprecedented political push for cross-border water cooperation, Ministers from Africa, Latin America and the Middle East have declared at the UN Water Conference their country's resolve to join a key United Nations accord known as the Water Convention.

In what could constitute a major long-term outcome of the summit, governments are seizing the UN Water Convention to support practical cooperation measures - urgently needed as 153 states worldwide share water resources - as a precondition to tackle the global water crisis.

Governments to join UN Water Convention:

Nigeria on 22 March officially became the 48th Party to the Water Convention and 7th African nation to join since 2018 (following Chad, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Ghana, Togo and Cameroon), marked by a ceremony. With over 213 million inhabitants, Nigeria is the most populous state in Africa, and shares with its neighbours most of its water resources, which include Lake Chad and the River Niger. Joining neighbouring Parties will bolster conflict prevention, climate change adaptation and development.

Iraq declared its forthcoming accession, which would make it the first country in the Middle East to join the Convention, opening the door to expanded membership in a region facing acute water challenges.

Panama stated it will soon become a Party, which would make it the first in Latin America, paving the way for reinforced cooperation in a region with a very limited number of agreements on the management of shared waters (and a value of the associated Sustainable Development Goals indicator at less than 10%).

Namibia reaffirmed its commitment to join the Water Convention, following approval of its national assembly last week. Namibia shares all its perennial rivers with neighbouring countries, and is both a mid- and downstream country. Its accession would make it the first country in the Southern African Development Community to join the Convention, opening the door to further expansion and reinforcement of cooperation in a region where the majority of freshwater crosses state borders.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The Water Convention is a powerful tool to advance cooperation, prevent conflicts and build resilience.

Antonio Guterres

UN Secretary-General

For the Gambia, whose parliament approved its accession to the Water Convention last week, membership will make a significant contribution to the more dependable management of its water resources, jointly with...