Bangladesh has decided to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) 1992.
The decision was made during a meeting of the Council of Advisers, chaired by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, at the Chief Adviser's Office (CAO) today.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan briefed the media about the outcome of the meeting at the Foreign Service Academy. She explained that managing transboundary watersheds involves two key UN laws: the 1997 Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses and the 1992 Water Convention, reports BSS.
Originally designed for European Union countries, the Water Convention was opened to all nations in 2016. Since then, 11 non-EU countries, mostly in Africa, have signed the convention.
Rizwana Hasan confirmed that Bangladesh has now completed all the necessary procedures to ratify the convention, making it the first Asian country to do so.
Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam was also present at the press briefing.
