– Togo’s accession to the United Nations Water Convention
Since December 27, 2021, Togo has officially become the 46th Party, the fifth State outside the pan-European region, of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), whose Secretariat is provided by the UNECE.
More than two-thirds of Togo's water resources are shared, including the Volta Basin (shared with Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali) and the Mono Basin (shared with Benin). Given this shared interest, Togo was already a party to the Conventions on the Status of the Volta and Mono Rivers and on the creation of the Volta and Mono Basin Authorities.
Togo's accession to the Water Convention will strengthen the efforts undertaken by the Togolese authorities in the sustainable management of its water resources. It will contribute to the improvement of its national water management, ensure the exchange of knowledge and experience with other countries, and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular target 6.5 on integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation, where appropriate.
In a context marked by increased pressure on water resources, the Water Convention constitutes a legal framework whose implementation, in addition to regional frameworks and national instruments, will certainly contribute to supporting our country's efforts in terms of transboundary cooperation on our shared basins, conflict prevention and the promotion of peace and regional integration.
Togo's accession reflects growing interest in the Water Convention since its global opening in 2016.