Multilingualism in Meetings Under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

E/RES/2025/27View PDF

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A document of the Economic and Social Council, under agenda item 16 Regional cooperation, published in 2025.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 1	General assembly and economic and social council affairs and conference management	52
	Subprogramme 1	Environment	27

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Programme 1	General assembly and economic and social council affairs and conference management	52	—
	Subprogramme 1	Environment	27	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 subjects

Conference and Meeting Services Language Services Multilingualism

What’s in this document?

1 operative paragraph

Endorses Economic Commission for Europe decision E (71), annexed to the present resolution, and requests the Secretary-General to provide translation and interpretation services into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, in addition to English, French and Russian, at future sessions of the Meeting of the Parties and other meetings under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes from the United Nations regular budget, including the translation of official documents and publications of the Convention into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, in order to enable effective and equal participation by all Member States.

Decision E (71)

Multilingualism in meetings under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

The Economic Commission for Europe,

Recognizing the significant progress made since the entry into force in 1996 of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), which has provided a sound legal framework and an effective intergovernmental platform for the promotion of cooperation and the sustainable management of water resources at the basin, regional and international levels that are key for peaceful and sustainable development,

Recalling decision III/1² of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention opening the Convention to accession by all United Nations Member States and its entry into force in 2013,

²ECE/MP.WAT/14.

Welcoming the significant global interest in acceding to the Water Convention, which since 2018 counts 12 new Parties from Africa (Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe), one from Latin America (Panama) and one from the Middle East (Iraq),

Welcoming also the fact that more than 20 other countries are in the process of acceding to the Water Convention and should soon become Parties, including five Spanish-speaking countries and two Arabic-speaking countries,

Highlighting that, in addition to the current 55 Convention Parties, around 80 other countries take part in meetings and activities under the Convention, making a total of more than 130 participating United Nations Member States,

Emphasizing that the Convention offers the only United Nations intergovernmental framework for policy and technical discussions on the sustainable management of transboundary water resources, and that its platform and work are useful to all countries sharing water resources, not only to Parties,

Recalling multiple resolutions of the General Assembly on multilingualism, including resolutions 71/328, 73/346 and 76/268, which emphasize the paramount importance of the equality of the six official languages of the United Nations,

Noting the adoption, at the tenth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention (Ljubljana, 23–25 October 2024), of Decision X/3 on promoting equal and effective participation of all Parties in sessions of the Meeting of the Parties and other meetings under the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes through translation and interpretation into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish,

Decides that translation of all official Convention documents and publications into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish shall be ensured in order to enable equal and effective participation of all current and future Parties and other countries in Convention activities;

Also decides that interpretation into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish at sessions of the Meeting of the Parties and other official Convention meetings shall be ensured in order to enable equal and effective participation of current and future Parties and other countries in Convention activities;

Requests the United Nations Secretary-General to provide translation and interpretation services into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, in addition to English, French and Russian, at future sessions of the Meeting of the Parties and other meetings under the Convention from the United Nations regular budget, including the translation of official documents and publications of the Convention into Arabic, Chinese and Spanish, in order to enable effective and equal participation by all Parties and other countries;

Decides to transmit to the Economic and Social Council a draft resolution on this issue for consideration and possible adoption.

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