Second International Conference on Sustainable Management of Transboundary Waters in Europe: April 2002 in Miedzyzdroje / Poland

Convened by
Ministry of Environment, Poland,
Ministry of the Environment, Finland,
Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany,
Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, Netherlands.

Organized jointly with
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE),
Regional Office for Europe of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/ROE),
Regional Office for Europe of the World Health Organization (WHO/EURO),
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
International Water Assessment Centre (IWAC) established under the Water Convention at the Netherlands Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment (RIZA), Lelystad, Netherlands.

Background and Themes of the Conference
The process of change in Europe poses new and compelling challenges to regional cooperation, in general, and to cooperation on the environment andsecurity, in particular. Currently, there are some 150 major transboundary rivers that form or cross the border between two or more countries. Some 25 major transboundary and international lakes aresubject to international cooperation, and more than 50 transboundary aquifers have already been identified in Europe.

These themes will be examined in detail during the Conference:

Progress in European water policy cannot be achieved in closed circles of administrators or scientific experts, as decision-making is the result of strategic interaction between multipleinter-dependent actors in different institutional environments. All stakeholders, the public at large and especially non-governmental organizations and local action groups, need to be much moreinvolved in European water policies if progress is to be made.

Cooperation to manage transboundary waters requires an effective institutional structure such as a river commission based on an international agreement or other arrangement. It is important thatjoint bodies should interact closely with each other and with joint bodies established to protect the marine environment.

One of the major new goals of water management policy is the conservation and, where possible, restoration of aquatic ecosystems to a state of good, or even, high ecological quality. This requiresan integrated approach to transboundary water management.

The way in which monitoring strategies are designed and assessments are made is a crucial element of conflict prevention in a transboundary context. This requires information and communication tobridge the gap between the actors.

Achieving the goals of sustainable development also requires significant changes in production and consumption patterns to optimize the use of water resources and minimize waste-water production. This poses challenges to water management and requires a new framework for its modernization.

Conference Secretariat
Economic Information Bureau
46 Podgorna Str.
PL-70 205 Szczecin
Tel.: +48 91 489 32 26
Fax: +48 91 489 24 00
E-mail: big@bigszczecin.com.pl

Venue and Date
The second international conference in Miedzyzdroje, Western
Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, on 21 - 24 of April 2002 will mark
the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN/ECE Convention on the
Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International
Lakes (Water Convention).

Internet-based information on the Conference
Information on the Conference will be made available on the homepage
of the Water Convention www.unece.org/env/water