In one month, governments and international partners will convene for the landmark 2026 United Nations Water Conference, co-hosted by UAE and Senegal, and held in Abu Dhabi, on 8-10 December. Faced with the growing water crisis and as climate change impacts intensify, the governments of Finland and Zambia have launched the “100 Parties Initiative”, calling for countries to strengthen cross-border water cooperation by joining and implementing the UN Water Convention.
This United Nations treaty, open to all UN Member States, provides governments with a clear legal framework for water cooperation, setting out responsibilities and obligations for the sustainable and equitable management of shared waters. Now with 62 Parties worldwide following the accession of Mauritania just last month, momentum is building fast for the UN Water Convention’s expansion.
The need for cooperation is clear. Transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers are shared by 153 countries worldwide and account for over 60% of the world’s freshwater flow. Yet less than a third of these countries have operational arrangements in place covering 90% or more of their shared basins. In this context, reinforcing water cooperation offers a foundation to strengthen peace, security, climate change adaptation and sustainable development.
Stregthening water and food security
In response, Finland and Zambia, as co-Chairs of the UN Water Conference’s Interactive Dialogue on “Water for Cooperation”, have launched the 100 Parties Initiative, aiming to reach 100 Parties worldwide to the UN Water Convention by 2030. The initiative is expected to be among the key, practical, outcomes of the UN Water Conference.
Reaching 100 Parties by 2030 sends a strong signal of countries’ commitment to cooperating over shared waters to strengthen regional stability, climate resilience, water and food security, and peace between neighbours. Joining the international legal framework and intergovernmental platform of the UN Water Convention gives countries the tools and support to turn this commitment into action.
Turo Hjerppe, Ministerial Advisor, Ministry of the Environment of Finland, stated “Responding to global water crises calls for transboundary and international water cooperation and related political commitments. The ambition of Finland and Zambia, as co-chairs of the Interactive Dialogue, is to strengthen transboundary cooperation through the implementation of international water law.”
Presenting the initiative at the recent session of the UN Water Convention’s Working Group on Integrated Water Resources Management which convened some 80 countries in Geneva, a ceremony organised by Finland, Zambia and the Water Convention Secretariat honoured the four countries that joined in 2026 alone: Benin, Botswana, Jordan, and Malawi. And the momentum continues: last month, Mauritania acceded as part of the 100 Parties Initiative, bringing the total number of Parties to 62 and reinforcing a growing global movement for cooperation over shared waters.
A developed and a developing country
Finland is a UN Water Convention Party since its adoption in Helsinki in 1992 and a longstanding supporter of transboundary water cooperation. Building on its experience of strong regional water cooperation, Zambia joined the UN Water Convention in 2024 and in September 2026 reached a landmark agreement with neighbouring DRC to jointly manage the Luapula River and Lake Mweru, with the support of the UN Water Convention. The Agreement paves the way for a new transboundary water authority, with signature expected at the upcoming UN Water Conference.
The UN Water Conference’s co-chairs leading on the topic of water for cooperation were selected to represent both a developed and a developing country, creating a “unique North-South partnership”. Their shared commitment demonstrates that rules-based transboundary water governance benefits all economies, regardless of their development stage, and reinforces the global nature of the UN Water Convention.
“Working together makes reaching 100 Parties to the Water Convention and securing transboundary Basins for Cooperation a truly achievable milestone. Avoiding cooperating on water is planning for future conflicts on water”, said Eng. Romas Kamanga, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Water Development and Sanitation in Zambia.”
Transboundary water cooperation
“We have a unique window of opportunity before Abu Dhabi,” said Sonja Koeppel, Secretary of the UN Water Convention. “I urge every Member State, whether already a Party or considering accession, to endorse this Declaration and help us build the strongest possible partnership for transboundary water cooperation.”
The 100 Parties initiative has two concrete objectives: celebrating new accessions to the UN Water Convention, with at least eight new Parties joining in 2026 ahead or at the Conference, and securing declarations of interest from countries committing to begin the accession process and/or to further support the Convention. The Declaration of Interest, developed by the Co-Chairs, is open to all interested countries and serves as an expression of political support for the Convention and its goals.
As the Water Action Decade and Agenda 2030 draw to a close, a priority of the UN Water Conference is implementation and operationalization of water cooperation frameworks and agreements like the UN Water Convention.
Key facts on water challenges worldwide
- More than 2 billion people live in countries under water stress and 3.6 billion face inadequate access to water at least one month per year.
- Water-related disasters account for 70% of all disaster-related deaths.
- To meet Sustainable Development Goal 6, progress needs to increase, on average, by 8x for safely managed drinking water, 6x for safely managed sanitation and 2x for basic hygiene.