Page 2 - RIOB - La lettre du Réseau

INBO Newsletter n° 21 - April 2013

2

The topic of basin management

and transboundary cooperation

has been widely discussed during

the last World Water Forum in Mar-

seilles.



UNESCO and the International

Network of Basin Organizations

(INBO)

jointly coordinated the

nine official sessions of Priority

1.5 "Contribute to cooperation and

peace", mainly on the manage-

ment of the basins of transboun-

dary rivers, lakes and aquifers.



INBO

also coordinated with

OECD

Condition for Success 1.3

”Good

governance”

related to the deve-

lopment and implementation of

national or transboundary

Basin

Management Plans.



The European Commission and

UNECE

also coordinated two ses-

sions of the European process on

”the Water Convention"

(Hel-

sinki 1992) and on the implemen-

tation of

the European Water

Framework Directive (WFD),

in

liaison with "Europe-INBO".



INBO

had the honor of being invi-

ted to be a key note speaker at

the

ministerial round table on

transboundary basins,

chaired

by the United States of America,

Tajikistan and Zimbabwe.



INBO Member Organizations

were also invited to present their

experiences and recommenda-

tions at an event dedicated to the

management of large transboun-

dary basins, organized at the

"French Pavilion" by the Interna-

tional Office for Water, INBO

Secretariat.

A large preparatory mobilization

had taken place for over a year and

many contributions were received

on the "platform for solutions"

website.

The sessions left wide room for lively

and rich debates and discussions, and

a large majority of participants

converged on the interest of the

basin approach, either national

or transboundary, to address the

global challenges of water resour-

ces management.

All the papers and photos of these

events can be downloaded on the

website:

www.inbo-news.org

At conclusion time…

...tangible progress for basin management

and transboundary cooperation has been made

The 6

th

World Water Forum

Event organized at the French Pavilion

More than half of the world popu-

lation lives in the basins of

276 transboundary rivers and

lakes or nearly 300 aquifers.

Cooperation among the riparian coun-

tries is becoming imperative as pres-

sure is increasing because of the glo-

bal changes which are intensifying.

The integrated approach to water

resources management appears as the

basis for improved management of

transboundary basins.

The basins of rivers, lakes and

aquifers are indeed the spaces

where hydrological, social, econo-

mic and environmental interdepen-

dences better appear.

The experience gained allows today

saying that it is possible to organize

effective management on the basin-

scale of transboundary rivers, lakes or

aquifers, when there is a real willin-

gness of the stakeholders concerned.

Nevertheless, significant progress

remains to be done everywhere in the

world.

To support this process, the Internatio-

nal Network of Basin Organizations

(INBO), the Global Water Partnership

(GWP), UNECE, UNESCO, the GEF,

EVREN and the French Development

Agency drafted

”the Handbook for

Integrated Water Resources Mana-

gement in the Basins of Transboun-

dary Rivers, Lakes and Aquifers”

presented at the World Water Forum in

Marseilles.

This handbook aims to provide practi-

cal advice to improve transboundary

basin management, using more than

60 practical examples

of actions

already successfully initiated in various

basins.

The handbook itself and its English

version on CD-ROM can be obtai-

ned free of charge, subject to avai-

lability, by E-mails to:

secretariat@inbo-news.org

or

gwp@gwp.org

Digital versions of the English

Handbook can be downloaded,

free of charge, on GWP and INBO

websites:

www.inbo-news.org

www.gwp.org

Handbook for Integrated Transboundary

Basin Management

THE HANDBOOK FOR

INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES

MANAGEMENT IN

TRANSBOUNDARY BASINS

OF RIVERS, LAKES AND AQUIFERS