Abstract
In the context of increasing freshwater scarcity and climate change, effective transboundary water management, including groundwater resources, is particularly important. The 1992 Helsinki Convention provides an international legal basis for states to cooperate to protect and rationally use transboundary watercourses and aquifers. This article is aimed at a comparative analysis of the practice of implementing the provisions of the Convention in different regions of the world - Europe, Central Asia and Africa - with an emphasis on hydrogeological aspects. Particular attention is paid to the Shuya transboundary basin, located on the territory of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as a case of partial implementation of international standards. Based on a systemic analysis of groundwater management, monitoring, and protection practices, recommendations are proposed to integrate the Convention's provisions into regional water policies and institutional mechanisms. The study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the practice of applying the 1992 Helsinki Convention in various regions of the world, with an emphasis on transboundary groundwater, highlighting the problems and prospects of its implementation using the example of the Shuya basin. The study confirmed that the application of the 1992 Helsinki Convention varies significantly across geographical and political-institutional contexts.