Benin joins United Nations (UN) Water Convention, strengthening transboundary water cooperation in West Africa

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The Republic of Benin has acceded to the United Nations Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (UN Water Convention) during a high-level ceremony at UN headquarters in New York at the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. Benin is now the 61st Party to this global legal framework for cooperative management of shared waters. 

This accession marks a significant step in Benin’s commitment to sustainable water governance at both national and regional level. It creates new opportunities for managing the coastal sedimentary aquifer shared by Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. This aquifer supplies drinking water to millions in the Gulf of Guinea but lacks a formal transboundary governance framework. With all four countries now Parties to the Convention, they can establish a joint governance framework for this vital resource.  

In addition, over 56 per cent of Benin's territory lies within the Mono, Niger, and Volta transboundary basins. This provides further opportunities to enhance data-sharing, joint governance, and cooperation, particularly with Togo and Nigeria, with whom Benin shares the Mono and Niger basins along key regional trade routes. Stronger water cooperation supports the stability and predictability these routes depend on. 

With Benin's accession, 9 of the 12 ECOWAS Member States are now Parties to the UN Water Convention, demonstrating strong momentum for transboundary water cooperation in West Africa. Benin joins Côte d'Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo, bringing the total number of African Parties to 16. This growing participation reflects recognition of the Convention as a practical framework for aligning national water governance with international standards and strengthening cooperation on shared resources. 

Édouard Dahomé, Minister of Energy, Water and Mines of Benin, said: "By joining the UN Water Convention, Benin is strengthening its national water governance and affirming its commitment to cooperate with neighbours on a resource that sustains millions of lives. This is a strategic step towards shared prosperity, regional integration and peace."   

By acceding, Benin signals its commitment to cooperate under the Convention’s norms and standards to the international community, financial institutions, and partners. Nationally, implementing the Convention’s obligations, including preventing, controlling, and reducing significant transboundary impacts, will strengthen Benin’s water governance and resource management. This step also contributes to the growing momentum for transboundary water cooperation in Africa and globally, as preparations continue for the 2026 UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

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