Preamble
The Parties to this Convention,
Mindful that the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international
lakes are important and urgent tasks, the effective accomplishment of which can only
be ensured by enhanced cooperation,
Concerned over the existence and threats of adverse effects, in the short or long
term, of changes in the conditions of transboundary watercourses and international
lakes on the environment, economies and well-being of the member countries of the
Economic Commission for Europe (ECE),
Emphasizing the need for strengthened national and international measures to prevent,
control and reduce the release of hazardous substances into the aquatic environment
and to abate eutrophication and acidification, as well as pollution of the marine
environment, in particular coastal areas, from land-based sources,
Commending the efforts already undertaken by the ECE Governments to strengthen cooperation,
on bilateral and multilateral levels, for the prevention, control and reduction of
transboundary pollution, sustainable water management, conservation of water resources
and environmental protection,
Recalling the pertinent provisions and principles of the Declaration of the Stockholm
Conference on the Human Environment, the Final Act of the Conference on Security and
Cooperation in Europe (CSCE), the Concluding Documents of the Madrid and Vienna Meetings
of Representatives of the Participating States of the CSCE, and the Regional Strategy
for Environmental Protection and Rational Use of Natural Resources in ECE Member Countries
covering the Period up to the Year 2000 and Beyond,
Conscious of the role of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in promoting
international cooperation for the prevention, control and reduction of transboundary
water pollution and sustainable use of transboundary waters, and in this regard recalling
the ECE Declaration of Policy on Prevention and Control of Water Pollution, including
Transboundary Pollution, the ECE Declaration of Policy on the Rational Use of Water;
the ECE Principles Regarding Cooperation in the Field of Transboundary Waters; the
ECE Charter on Groundwater Management; and the Code of Conduct on Accidental Pollution
of Transboundary Inland Waters,
Referring to decisions I (42) and I (44) adopted by the Economic Commission for Europe
at its forty-second and forty-fourth sessions, respectively, and the outcome of the
CSCE Meeting on the Protection of the Environment (Sofia, Bulgaria, 16 October-3 November
1989),
Emphasizing that cooperation between member countries in regard to the protection
and use of transboundary waters shall be implemented primarily through the elaboration
of agreements between countries bordering the same waters, especially where no such
agreements have yet been reached,
Have agreed as follows: