Mongolia shares more than 30 rivers and lakes with its neighbors and has a long history of peaceful collaboration on shared waters. It agreed bilateral agreements on transboundary water cooperation with China (1994) and the Russian Federation (1995), laying the foundation for joint monitoring, data exchange and basin management. These agreements remain key pillars of transboundary cooperation and reflect Mongolia’s longstanding recognition of water as a strategic and shared resource. 
Mongolia is one of only 26 countries worldwide to have achieved a 100 percent score in its national report submissions in both 2020 and 2023 on SDG Indicator 6.5.2 measuring transboundary water cooperation, underscoring its commitment to cooperation via agreements and institutional arrangements with its co-riparians.  
However, Mongolia still faces increasing pressures on its water resources due to rising demand, climate change, aquifer depletion, and pollution. This is where the UN Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UN Water Convention, together with its community of Parties and partners, can help to provide technical and financial support.  
To this end, Mongolia convened a national workshop on 25 September 2025 in Ulaanbaatar to advance awareness, dialogue and capacity on the UN Water Convention, marking an important step toward strengthening water cooperation and sustainable water governance. This contributes further to growing interest in the Convention from countries within Asia.  
Opening the event, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, H.E. Batbaatar Bat, underscored Mongolia’s commitment to transboundary water management in the face of climate change and growing pressures on water resources. He noted that Mongolia has “valued water as the basis of life” and has nurtured a legacy of cooperation with its neighbors that continues to evolve and the Convention could potentially help in this regard. 
H.E. Mrs. Ina Marčiulionytė, Ambassador of the European Union in Mongolia, emphasized that the workshop “marks a significant milestone in Mongolia's endeavours towards sustainable water management.” She welcomed Mongolia’s potential interest in joining the Convention, calling it “a crucial step in enhancing water cooperation and the sustainable use of shared water resources in the region,” and highlighted the EU’s ongoing support for water resilience, including partnerships in Mongolia to improve resource management and prevent flooding. 
Secretary of the UN Water Convention, Ms. Sonja Koeppel, commended Mongolia’s water cooperation leadership as evinced by SDG Indicator 6.5.2. She noted the Convention aims to support, not replace, existing agreements, whereby the potential for technical and financial support from the Convention’s Parties and partners could help to enhance the practical implementation of Mongolia’s existing water agreements. She highlighted that the Convention has become a truly global and legal intergovernmental platform with the accession of Bangladesh in June 2025 as evidence of rising interest across the region and warmly welcomed Mongolia’s exploration of membership. 
Speaking on behalf of the UN system in Mongolia, Mr. Jaap van Hierden, UN Resident Coordinator, affirmed that the United Nations stands ready to support the Government should it decide to accede to the Convention. He added that the UN will also work with national partners to help ensure water issues are at the forefront and integrated into the upcoming 17th UNCCD Conference of Parties, to be hosted by Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar in August 2026. 
Participants from government, development partners and the UN system explored how accession to the Convention could help Mongolia strengthen joint monitoring, climate adaptation, groundwater protection and basin-wide collaboration. The workshop also provided a platform to exchange good practices and identify opportunities for technical assistance, involving representatives from Parties to the Convention, including Hungary, Kazakhstan and Bangladesh. 
The workshop was made possible through funding provided by the European Union. 
Photo credit: UNECE

Published Date:2025-10-09