INBO - Newsletter

3 INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 News of the Network Message from INBO World President About INBO importance As an international platform, INBO enables stakeholders to exchange experiences and knowledge on Inte- grated Water Resources Management for improving the latter’s implemen- tation and on successful cases in variable contexts. Likewise, it helps to create a space where basin issues can be discussed and analyzed, and solutions can be found to address the most pressing water challenges. Regarding CONAGUA Mexico is a country with vast expe- rience in the field of water. Its geo- graphical position has allowed it to develop knowledge and implement practices that, on the one hand, meet the increasing water challenges and the risks associated with extreme hydrometeorological phenomena, droughts and floods and, on the other, to address the challenges of meeting water needs with drinking water sup- ply and sanitation services in rural and marginalized communities, but also in one of the world’s largest megacities with more than 20 million inhabitants, located in an endorheic river basin. Since receiving INBO Presidency in June 2016, Mexico, through CONA- GUA, has committed to share its expe- rience in the international events invol- ving INBO, such as the meetings of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Water Forum. Similarly, we are actively involved in preparing INBO’s strategy for the 2019-2021 period. Our commitment is to guarantee the right to water of our populations, both rural and urban, and, not forget- ting anybody, taking into account the complexity of the relationship between cities and basins. Message from the President Several topics seem to me essential to face the challenges ahead, in the current context of climate change. We must prepare for more extreme and increasingly frequent events, as evi- denced by the forecasts for the next rainy and hurricane season that is about to begin. The first challenge is the knowledge of water resources, because ”we cannot manage what we do not know and can- not measure”. It is therefore of utmost importance to have monitoring and measurement networks, for collecting and analyzing water data, and reliable Water Informa- tion Systems. Today, most organizations produce data and have their own systems. The next step is to improve cooperation between the various stakeholders to exchange their information via a platform that allows them to be inter- connected. The second key challenge is the rela- tionship between surface water and groundwater, in order to take into account the water cycle as a whole and to achieve a more efficient manage- ment of the resource. International cooperation, the exchange of knowledge and successful cases, as well as the production of handbooks, intended for the stakeholders of the sector to guide them in the mana- gement of the resource, seem to me also very important, especially for the shared management of transboundary basins, to achieve sustainable deve- lopment and prevent conflicts over water resources. Last, but not least, is the question of how each user participates in the management of the resource. I think it is essential to adopt the concept of social co-responsibility, which defines not only the users’ rights, but also their obligations, so that each stakeholder can assume his own responsibility for the sustainability of the resource. Following steps In order to include all the stakeholders involved in basin management, a major challenge is the introduction of other languages into the work of the network, as well as the translation of its publi- cations, now available in French and in English (handbooks on water infor- mation systems, participatory manage- ment and adaptation to climate change in transboundary basins). We shall actively participate in the next INBO events, especially in the prepara- tion of the next assembly, as well as in the World Water Forum. We shall gladly facilitate the transition with the next INBO President, who, I am sure, will do an excellent job in pur- suing cooperative efforts for better and more efficient integrated management of the world’s water resources. Ms. Blanca Jiménez Cisneros, who was appointed General Director of the Mexican Water Commission (CONAGUA) on 1 st December 2018, as part of the new administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, is currently INBO President. In this issue of INBO Newsletter, Ms. Jiménez presents her message and vision of the future of the network, before transferring the presidency to Morocco at the next General Assembly, to be held from 30 September to 3 October 2019 in Marrakech. Ms. Blanca Jiménez Cisneros, General Director of CONAGUA