The Ministry of Environment noted that they blocked the participation of representatives of the aggressor country Russia in one of the departments of the Bureau of the UN Water Convention.
Points of attention
- Ukraine blocked Russia's participation in the Bureau of the UN Water Convention, citing environmental crimes committed by the aggressor country.
- Representatives of Ukraine highlighted environmental violations by the Russian occupying army, including polluting the Seim River and causing an environmental disaster by blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station.
- With Ukraine's representation secured in the Bureau for the period 2025-2027, there are new opportunities for transboundary cooperation on water resource conservation and monitoring.
- The Water Convention aims to protect and use transboundary water resources, with more than 130 countries currently being part of the international treaty.
- Advocates are pushing for environmental justice and accountability for Russia's actions, emphasizing the need to hold the country responsible for its environmental crimes.
What is known about Ukraine’s blocking of Russia’s participation in meetings of the Bureau of the UN Water Convention
At the same time, the Ministry of Environment noted that in the period from 2025 to 2027, the Bureau will include a representative from the State Water Agency of Ukraine.
It is noted that the 10th meeting of the Bureau was held on October 23-25 in Ljubljana on the territory of Slovenia.
During the conference, representatives of Ukraine informed about the current environmental situation in the country.
In particular, attention was paid to numerous cases of violations of environmental safety standards by the occupying army of the Russian Federation since the beginning of the unleashed criminal war against Ukraine.
Among other things, the aggressor country is responsible for polluting the Seim River and blowing up the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region, which resulted in a large-scale environmental disaster.
The delegates called on countries to join forces for justice and to hold Russia accountable for environmental crimes, including water resources, the Ministry of Environment emphasized in a statement.
A vote was held, according to the results of which a representative of the State Water Agency became a member of the Bureau of the Water Convention for the period from 2025 to 2027.
At the same time, Russia’s work in the department was blocked.
This opens up new opportunities for Ukraine to actively participate in transboundary cooperation on conservation, purification and monitoring of water resources. And most importantly, we will continue to work to ensure that Russia is fairly punished for crimes committed against the environment,” noted First Deputy Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Elena Kramarenko.
What is known about the Water Convention
The Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, or Water Convention, is an international treaty and platform whose members are committed to ensuring the use of water resources that cross the borders of many countries.
Ukraine joined the Water Convention in the year of its adoption — in 1992. Currently, more than 130 countries around the world have joined it.
In October 2021, the Meeting of the Parties elected representatives to the Bureau:
Estonia;
Slovenia;
Kazakhstan;
Germany;
Hungary;
Finland;
Senegal;
Ghani;
Azerbaijan;
France;
Switzerland;
Russian Federation.
Among the main responsibilities of the Bureau are taking measures to develop a work plan for efforts related to water activities, as well as taking initiatives to implement the provisions of the convention.
