UNECE Task Force on Water and Climate Releases Study on Transboundary Flood Risk Management

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has released a study titled “Transboundary flood risk management: experiences from the UNECE region,” which presents preliminary recommendations and case studies prepared by the Task Force on Water and Climate, under the UNECE Water Convention.The study describes problems and progress made regarding transboundary flood management in 10 transboundary river basins in the UNECE region; tools for managing transboundary flood risk, for joint flood forecasting, flood warning and exchange of data, joint flood risk management planning and implementation; and useful legal and institutional arrangements for cooperation. Among other things, the study notes that climate change is expected to increase both the magnitude and the frequency of floods, although there is considerable uncertainty about these impacts. The publication supports flexible flood risk measures and cooperation agreements so as to adapt to a wider range of future scenarios.