Increasing safe navigation on waterways

Negotiating river transport

Description

Increasing safe navigation on waterways involves implementing measures to prevent accidents, reduce hazards, and ensure the secure movement of vessels. Essential actions include maintaining navigational aids, enforcing safety regulations, improving vessel traffic management, and providing training for operators. These strategies address problems such as collisions, groundings, and environmental damage, thereby protecting lives, property, and ecosystems while supporting efficient and reliable waterborne transport.

Context

Internationally, a number of recent negotiation successes have been reported from different parts of the world. It is generally easier to negotiate treaties on the navigable uses of rivers, since these do not require water allocation or use considerations.

This strategy features in the framework of Agenda 21 as formulated at UNCED (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), now coordinated by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and implemented through national and local authorities. Agenda 21 recommends promoting navigational safety by appropriate and adequate charting of coasts and ship-routing.