Over 80 countries honored Côte d'Ivoire on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, during the opening of the 10th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Water Convention in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The celebration marked Côte d'Ivoire's accession to this global body in July 2024.

Côte d'Ivoire was highlighted at the Ljubljana Exhibition and Convention Center, alongside Zambia and Zimbabwe. The country became the 53rd State Party and the 10th African nation to join the treaty, which aims to improve transboundary water management.

Laurent Tchagba, the Minister of Water and Forests, expressed his satisfaction during the celebration and reviewed the country's water resources. He pointed out that Côte d'Ivoire shares eight river basins with its neighbors.

Tchagba emphasized that these water resources are unevenly distributed both spatially and temporally, with areas of water stress in the North and Northeast regions. These resources are further threatened by urbanization, climate change impacts, including droughts and floods, as well as pollution from industrial, agricultural, and mining activities, particularly illegal gold mining.

He expressed his expectations following the country's accession to the United Nations Water Convention, aiming to tackle water insecurity effectively.