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Trans-boundary River Basin Management The OKACOM Initiative

Trans-boundary River Basin Management The OKACOM Initiative. Bonn, 10 - 13 November, 2008 Germany By: Dr. Ebeniz á rio Chongui ç a OKACOM SECRETARIAT. Okavango River Basin. Background. Motivation Need to maintain the tradition of good neighbourliness & close cooperation

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Trans-boundary River Basin Management The OKACOM Initiative

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  1. Trans-boundary River Basin ManagementThe OKACOM Initiative Bonn, 10 - 13 November, 2008 Germany By: Dr. Ebenizário Chonguiça OKACOM SECRETARIAT

  2. Okavango River Basin

  3. Background • Motivation • Need to maintain the tradition of good neighbourliness & close cooperation • Emerging socio-economic development • Importance and relative paucity of water - need for • Sustainable transboundary management of OKAVANGO river basin resources for the benefits to its people (Vision) • Process • Guided by international laws & regional protocols • Reasonable and equitable sharing of beneficial uses - Helsinki Rules (1966) /article iv • Equitable and optimal utilisation – SADC Protocol on Shared Water Course Systems • Tri-country agreement, between Angola, Botswana & Nambia • To establish The Permanent Okavango River Basin Water Commission (1994) • A collaborative body known as OKACOM to drive the operationalization of the vision

  4. Why? • To practically embrace the principles of: • Trans-national connectivity of: • Natural systems • Socio-cultural realities and • Economic dynamics • Their do not recognize political boundaries • Need for a trans-boundary approach to management

  5. OKACOM • Operational Objectives • Determine the long-term safe yield of water availabe from the river • Estimate reasonable demand from consumers • Prepare criteria for conservation, equitable allocation and sustainable utilisation of water • Conductinvestigations related to development of water resources through infrastructure investment • Recommend pollution control measures • Develop measures for the alleviation of short-term difficulties, such as temporary droughts

  6. Basin comparisons

  7. Riparian States

  8. Riparian States

  9. Riparian States (cont.)

  10. Basin Characteristics

  11. Organisational Structure • Commission (OKACOM) • Development of policy and general strategic direction • Consisting of three delegations representing the member states • Senior officials from government ministries related to water and natural resources management • Okavango Basin Steering Committee (OBSC) • Provide technical advice to the commission • Drawn from key technical staff from respective member states and consultants • Task forces • Institutional • Hydrology • Biodiversity • OKACOM Secretariat (OKASEC) • Provider of adminsitrative, financial and coordinative services to OKACOM • Day-to-day-operations

  12. Organizational Structure

  13. Operations • Commission • One ordinary meeting a year • Extraordinary meetings as necessary • Okavango Basin Steering Committe • Two ordinary meetings a year • Extraordinary meetings as necessary • Task forces • As many as necessary meetings • Working session (field, etc) • Secretariat • Day to day running of Commission business

  14. Institutional DevelopmentFunctional Secretariat • First Phase • Administration • Implementation of OKACOM decisions • Information sharing and communication • Second phase • Above functions could be expanded to include • Technical services • Project coordination and implementation • Fund raising • Capacity building • Conflict prevention

  15. Three Year Plan for the First Phase • Start up phase • Initial six month period prior to the three year phase • Setting up of basic infrastructure • Logistical arrangements • Recruitment activities • Operational procedures and guidelines • Milestone = Start of duties by the Executive Secretary

  16. Outline of the Three Year Plan • Development objective • OKACOM and member countries supported in integrated management of the OKAVANGO River Basin througth the implementation of the 1994 agreement

  17. OKACOM • Objective • To act as the technical advisor to Angola, Namiba and Botswana on matters relating to the conservation, development and utilisation of the water resources in the Okavango River Basin • Role • To develop and monitor a coherent approach to manage the basin under the following guiding principles: • equitable allocation • sustainable utilization • sound environmental management and, • sharing of benefits

  18. Outline of the three year plan • Immediate objectives • Obj1:OKACOM decisions are well informed, based on • well prepared analysis of alternatives and relative costs and benefits and are • implemented in a timely and effective manner • Obj2:Information relavant to sustainable, equitable and effective management of the Okavango River basin is defined, • all relevant actors are aware of the sources and • these sources continue to match present and future needs • Obj3:Participation of stakeholders in the integrated governance of the Okavango River basin increased by • enhancing communication • Improving capacity of OKACOM • Stakeholders participation in the mgt of the ORBs

  19. Key Achievements/GovernanceProcedures • Finance and Administration Manual • Procurement Manual • Policy and Operational Procedures Manual • Annual Work Plans and Budgets • Semi-annual reporting & planning procedures • Narrative/technical • Financial • Annual auditing

  20. Funding Approach

  21. Ongoing Key field Projects • Participatory governance in the mgt of the basin • EPSMO - GEF • IRBM - USAID • ERP – KCS;NNF & ACADIR / SIDA • ODMP – Botswana/(IUCN;SIDA;DANIDA) • Exchange visit programmes

  22. EPSMO PROJECT – GEF/UNDP

  23. Kangamba and Lumeta (LUKA)

  24. Using Kuebe River in Menongue

  25. IRBM – USAID funded

  26. Pandera- Water Supply Rehabilitation Project

  27. Every River has its People (SIDA funded) • Strengthening the enabling environment for • effective participation of communities in the management of the OKAVANGO river basin • Challenges of full inclusiveness & not retoric • Basin Wide Forum comprised of • community members representing each of the riparian countries • It has elements of • socio-ecological surveys; • analysis of information and development of educational material and • capacity building for improved participation in planning and decision making

  28. Transition process (key elements) • Namibia – Angola bilateral agreement (1990) • endorse & affirm the old agreements on the Cunene (P/SA) • Re-establish the Permanent Joint Technical Commission (PJTC) • Namibia – Botswana bilateral agreement (1990) • Joint Permanent Technical Commission (JPTC) for water resources of common interest • Bringing together Commissioners of the PJTC and the JPTC at a joint meeting in Windhoek (1991) • developments the Okavango basin and the possibility to establish a tripartite water commission • possibility to establish a tripartite water commission • 1994 OKACOM agreement

  29. Defining moments • 1994 OKACOM agreement under ferocious war conditions in the basin • Strong polictical will for collaboration • Dependence on ephemeral rivers (N & B) • Adherence to International conventions and Regional protocols • CBD; UNCCD; UNFCC; RAMSAR • SADC Water Protocol • 2004 Angola peace agreement • Ability to set up cross-country joint research team • Joint field expeditions – data collection and analysis • TDA and EFA process • Universities; NGO’s; communities (WBF) • Shift from sharing water to shared beneficial uses

  30. Angola upstream: recovering from war

  31. Wishes for the future • Actioning of statments of “good intentions” expressed in bilateral, regional and iternational agreements • Development of suitable institutional arrangements that can operationalize such declarations • Enforcement capacity • Need to overcome national soveirengty paragdim vs trans-national • Visible shared benefits across of full spectrum of social fabric, • nationally and • trans-nationally

  32. Key Challenges • Programme development • Ability to develop an action programme which is: • Relevant • Generates visible impacts (changes in conditions) • Ecosystems • Peoples livelihoods • Sustainable

  33. Key Challenges (cont.) • Funding model • Secure financial sustainability • Managed in a business approach

  34. Funding Approach

  35. Key Challenges (cont.) • Institutional arragements • Operational at a trans-national level • Equiped with appropriate skills mix • Necessary physical/material resources

  36. Opportunities • Manifested political will – OKACOM treaty • Global interest over: • Uniqueness of the river basin system - endorreic • The most prestine river basin in the world • The largest Ramasar site in the plannet • Demonstrate other dimensions of biodiversity • How conservation can contribute to poverty alleviation • Further demonstrate • Ability of riparian states to promote sound regional cooperation at a catchment level • Optimized use of river basin resources for the benefit of its people at a trans-boundary dimension

  37. Way forward • Is the OKACOM vision doable? • The response is on our HANDS!

  38. For more information go to • WWW.OKACOM.ORG

  39. Obrigado!

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