INBONewsletter n° 22 - May 2014
2
The 9
th
General Assembly of the
International Network of Basin
Organizations took place in Forta-
leza, inBrazil, from13 to16August
2013.
It gathered 319 delegates, coming
from 49 countries.
The meeting dealt with the adaptation
to the world great challenges that are
populationgrowth, increasing food and
energy demand or the effects of Cli-
mate Change, which were discussed
during five round tables:
➤
Water management in the new
post 2015 Sustainable Deve-
lopment Goals of theUN;
➤
Adaptation to the effects of cli-
mate changeandprevention of
extreme phenomena of floods
and droughts;
➤
Institutional frameworks for
action of Basin Organizations
and participation of local
authorities, water users and
the public;
➤
Management of transboundary
rivers, lakes and aquifers,
➤
Financing of water manage-
ment and of basin organiza-
tions.
From the debates, it emerged that
integrated water resources mana-
gement in basins, whether local,
national or transboundary, is
essential worldwide.
The experiments of integrated basin
management carriedout today inmany
countries, some of which are fifty years
old, show the relevance of this
approach.
The General Assembly reaffirmed
some conditions to guarantee the
success of basinmanagement:
It is compulsory to
develop approa-
ches which integrate surface,
ground and coastal waters,
seek
cross and inter-sectoral solutions,
reduce pressures on available
resources, restore the hydro-morpho-
logy of rivers and protect or restore
aquatic ecosystems.
Integrated information systems
should allow having knowledge on
resources and their uses, on polluting
pressures, ecosystems and their func-
tioning, risks and evolution follow-up.
Production and availability of reliable
information and data are essential to
enable
a constructive dialogue bet-
ween partners,
facilitate decision-
making and evaluate the results of the
implemented policies.
These information systems should take
data on climate change into account.
Basin management plans or mas-
ter plans,
established through dia-
logue with all the stakeholders should
define the medium and long-term
objectives to be achieved, through the
development of Programs of Measures
and successive multiyear priority
investments.
Sustainable financing of water
resources management and of the
basin organizations, that are in
charge of it, must be guaranteed
regarding investments and opera-
tion,
and based on the application of
the "polluter pays" and "user pays"
principles, ensuring all necessary geo-
graphical and cross-sectoral equaliza-
tions and true solidarity between all
categories of users by combining
national or local administrative taxes,
the pricingof community services, and
taxes specific to objectives selected
through dialogue.
At the side of the relevant Governmen-
tal Administrations, activeparticipation
in decision-making of the local Autho-
rities concerned, includingmunicipali-
ties, representatives of different cate-
gories of users and associations for
environmental protection or of public
interest should be organized.
The establishment of Basin Com-
mittees or Councils seems to be
the best way of ensuring all the
stakeholders’ participation, provi-
ded that they have the necessary
resourcesmade available.
TheseBasinbodies shouldbe involved
in the decision-making related towater
policy in their basin, with procedures
and a mandate clearly defining their
role. They allow establishing the
necessary cross-sectoral links for the
exchange of information and dialogue
among all the partners.
Their establishment or their reinforce-
ment should be a priority for the
donors.
”The World PACT for better river
basin management”, initiated by
INBO inMarchand signed todayby
128 organizations from the whole
world, is based on all these princi-
ples.
Declarationof Fortaleza
9
th
INBOWorld General Assembly - 13 -
The opening ceremony© IOWater - C.Runel
F
OR BETTER BASIN MANAGEMENT OVER THE WORLD
!
