The Niger national workshop was held on 2-3 March 2023 in Niamey. Jointly organized by the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation of Niger and the Secretariat of the Water Convention (UNECE), the workshop helped to inform relevant stakeholders about the Water Convention, to share about the processes initiated by Government of Niger to become party to the Water Convention and to discuss the next steps in the accession process.

In view of Niger's possible accession to the Water Convention, the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation has been actively participating in the Convention's activities since 2018. In 2021 awareness raising activities at the regional level were organised to sensitise relevant stakeholders on the Water Convention. The national workshop, which welcomed 80 participants, was convened to raise awareness on the Water Convention and for Niger to commit to a roadmap for accession and eventual implementation.

The workshop was organised with the financial support of the European Union through the project "Promoting accession to the Water Convention" which aims to support the accession and implementation of the Water Convention and thus strengthen transboundary cooperation on water and the sustainable and peaceful management of shared water resources.

Main results achieved through this workshop:

• Stakeholders were informed about the Water Convention
• The challenges of concerted management of transboundary rivers and international lakes for Niger and at regional and sub-regional level were identified;
• The content of the Water Convention in terms of benefits and obligations for Niger was outlined and clarified;
• The interaction and complementarity between the Water Convention and regional (ECOWAS and UEMOA) and sub-regional (NBA and LTBC) legal frameworks was outlined
• The main lines of action for the practical implementation of the Convention have been identified;
• The next steps in the accession process were clearly defined.