Minister Mr. Jože Novak emphasized the consequences of the changing climate, which are manifested in extreme weather events around the world, and the need for countries to take coordinated action on these phenomena. In the last two years, Slovenia has also faced extreme floods and, before that, a large-scale fire in the Karst. "Therefore, we recognize that working with countries for greater resilience is a necessity, and organizing and hosting this session is a privilege for us.

I am extremely pleased that the central topic of this year's meeting is climate resilience in international river basins," he stressed, adding that innovative approaches and the use of modern technologies are also necessary in transboundary water cooperation. In doing so, the priority must be to ensure that these technologies are also available to economically less developed countries, where climate change, droughts and floods are many times more pronounced. I am pleased that Slovenia has been successful in the development and introduction of modern technologies for several years."

Today is an important day for Slovenia! We host the United Nations, a party to the Water Convention, 600 participants from hundreds of countries. Slovenia's experience from natural disasters shows that international cooperation in the field of water needs to be strengthened. I realised that this cooperation is not only about words of principle, but that it also brings concrete actions. Jože Novak, the Minister

This year's jubilee tenth meeting of the parties to the Water Convention is record-breaking in terms of participation: more than 600 participants from a hundred different countries. "This gives us hope that we will participate even more constructively in transboundary sustainable water management in the future. In doing so, we will contribute to peace and stability in individual regions and in the whole world. This world needs peace today more than ever. Water and peace are closely linked," concluded Minister Novak.

As Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), pointed out, she is optimistic about the fact that this meeting gathered the largest number of participants so far and the convention is becoming global with the accession of new members. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we need to act quickly," Molcean said. Transboundary water cooperation is empowering as it brings benefits to those involved. It means trust, recognizing that we depend on each other and need help to tackle water challenges. And it is hopeful, because despite the increased uncertainty, together we can take action to protect the water resource for future generations."

They were also greeted by Harry Liiv, who chaired the convention bureau on behalf of Estonia for the last three-year term. Also Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, greeted the audience via video link, highlighting the accession of new members and the expansion of the convention to jointly contribute to sustainability and resilience.

The opening day of the meeting was dedicated to a special discussion within the so-called high-end segment entitled "Our Waters, Our Future: Cross-Border Water Cooperation to Strengthen Climate Resilience". In three thematic clusters on the topics: cross-border water cooperation for climate adaptation, cross-border cross-sectoral cooperation for climate mitigation and strengthening climate resilience through cross-border protection and restoration of ecosystems and biodiversity. High representatives of states (ministers, state secretaries) and intergovernmental and governmental organizations are participating in the discussions. The third, late afternoon panel includes the Minister of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, Mr. Jože Novak.

The high-level conclusions will feed into discussions at the 29th World Climate Action Summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November this year.

Tomorrow and Friday, the regular part of the convention session continues, and in parallel there will be interesting side events (program). These are primarily an opportunity to exchange opinions and experiences, ideas and examples of good practice between countries. Tomorrow, special attention will be paid to Slovenian achievements in the field of advanced technologies, which are being developed by the Space-SI Centre of Excellence. Satellite technologies allow for more efficient management of transboundary river basins, as well as faster analyses of our responses to natural disasters and climate change.

Among today's events, we would like to highlight a side event entitled "Early Warning for All: Can We Protect Ourselves with Early Warning Systems?", in which the Director General of the Water Directorate at the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, Dr. Lidija Globevnik, also participates.

On the last day of the session, Slovenia will also take over the chairmanship of the Water Convention Bureau for the period 2024–2027, from Estonia.

About the Water Convention

The Water Convention acts as an established intergovernmental platform under the auspices of the United Nations (UN) to promote transboundary protection and sustainable use of surface and groundwater. It also plays a key role in strengthening the importance of intergovernmental agreements on the management of transboundary watercourses, international lakes and aquifers. The Water Convention was adopted in Helsinki in 1992 and came into force in 1996. Slovenia ratified the Convention in 1999.

The Convention currently unites 55 Parties, but over 130 Member States of the United Nations regularly cooperate with the Water Convention. Until 2016, membership of the convention was limited to the countries of the UNECE region only. With UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' mandate to expand its membership beyond the UNECE region, the convention has become global. The Water Convention operates on all continents, apart from Australia and Antarctica. Its operation is managed by the Water Convention Secretariat at UNECE Headquarters in Geneva and is directed by the Water Convention Bureau and the Bureau of the Presidency.