Implementation of multilateral environmental agreements and integrated water resource management: What does national co-ordination achieve?

Razzaque, Jona

Abstract

At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, the international community agreed to develop integrated water resource management and water efficiency plans by 2005. Despite the slow progress in implementing this target, the 13the Meeting of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (2005) has observed that co-ordinated efforts among various stakeholders could speed up the process at the national level. In preparing water policies, countries can gain valuable insights from the national implementation plans they prepare under multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Many MEAs – including the Wetlands (Ramsar) Convention, the World Heritage Convention, the Hazardous Waste (Basel) Convention, the Biodiversity Convention and the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Stockholm) Convention – propose national level planning. Some of these national plans include projects related to wetlands, water ecosystems, inland waters, and toxic chemicals in water. These plans could offer useful guidance in designing and applying national water policies. Partnerships between water-related agencies and the national focal points of MEAs could ensure sustainability in water resource management.

Citation

Razzaque, J. (2005). Implementation of multilateral environmental agreements and integrated water resource management: What does national co-ordination achieve?

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2005
• Journal: Journal of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 26
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 257-283
• Keywords: multilateral environmental agreements, integrated water resource management