Shafaq News/ Iraq has become the first country in the Middle East to join the United Nations' water convention, the German embassy in Iraq saidon Monday, calling on neighboring countries follow its steps.

"The importance of Iraq joining the UN water convention lies in the fact that 19 out of 22 Arab countries suffer from water scarcity," the embassy said in a statement. "With increasing water scarcity and the possibility of conflicts over resources, the UN urges more countries to sign the water convention, designed to reduce tensions and improve international cooperation."

On Sunday, the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources declared the country's accession to the Helsinki Convention for the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (also called UN water convention), expressing commitment to ensuring the sustainable use of water resources.

Iraqi President Abdullatif Rashid participated in the New York Water Conference from March 22 to 24 upon the invitation of the United Nations Secretary-General. During his speech at the conference, he laid emphasis on establishing patent cooperation chabnels and effective management of available water resources by coastal countries for Iraq.

Iraq has been facing a severe water crisis for many years now, with access to clean and safe water becoming increasingly limited. The country's water resources have been significantly impacted by years of war and political instability, as well as climate change and upstream water management by neighboring countries.

The country's main sources of water are the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but their flow has been significantly reduced due to damming, diversion, and irrigation projects upstream, particularly in Turkey and Iran.