This glossary of common terminology used in shared water resources was prepared in response to a request from the Committee of Water Resources at ESCWA at its Sixth Session (Beirut, 2-4 December 2004) which called for the provision of assistance through a clear terminology for internationally shared water (surface water and groundwater). The glossary was prepared with assistance from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) in Hanover, Germany through the common project with ESCWA on “Advisory Services to ESCWA and ESCWA member countries on Water Resources”. The glossary is a comprehensive list of terminology used in shared water resources. Included in the glossary are technical, socio-economic and legal-institutional terms.This glossary is intended to be used by specialists, including decision makers and negotiators, from different ESCWA countries. Adopting a unified English-Arabic common terminology is expected to harmonize understanding of the technical, socio-economic, environmental, institutional and legal issues related to the joint management of shared water resources.