Geneva, 10 – 11 December

At its meeting in Lilongwe, Malawi, in June 1998, the SADC Ministers responsible for water resources endorsed the region's first comprehensive strategic action plan for the sector.  The plan was, in turn, approved by the SADC Council of Ministers in Port Louis, Mauritius, in September 1998. 

The process of actually preparing the "Regional Strategic Action Plan for Integrated Water Resources Development and Management in the SADC Countries (1999-2004)" was started more than two years ago under the auspices of the SADC Water Sector Co-ordination Unit (WSCU).  The process benefited from the earlier-mentioned 1997 SADC-EU Conference on the Management of Shared River Basins, as well as technical support provided by UNDP, UNEP and other multilateral and bilateral organisations in 1997 and 1998. The process also built upon the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Southern Africa Water Sector Assessment of 1995 that was implemented in co-ordination with SADC-ELMS. Based on the preparation of "Country Situation Reports" submitted by member-states, an Expert Meeting was convened in Maseru, Lesotho, in January 1998 to review the first draft of the Action Plan.  In early March 1998, a stakeholders' meeting was convened in Livingstone, Zambia to review the draft Action Plan and to incorporate inputs from interested parties.  The final draft Action Plan was completed by the WSCU and the Water Resources Technical Committee in two meetings held in May 1998, in Lusaka, Zambia and in Maseru, Lesotho.

The Summary Report of the Regional Strategic Action Plan, as approved by the relevant SADC bodies, has been circulated as a background document for the RTC.

As explained in the Summary Report, the major objective of the Action Plan is to provide a framework for the region to successfully meet the challenge of developing a comprehensive and integrated approach to water resources development and management. Such an objective is to be accomplished through a commitment to: (i) attaining a much stronger human and institutional capacity to formulate laws, policies and norms which allow water resources to be used cost-effectively as an economic and social good, and (ii) ensuring the more efficient use of existing and planned infrastructure projects which harness water's potential in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner. 

The Summary Report notes that a number of pre-conditions are currently in place which will facilitate the implementation of the Action Plan.  These include:

• a political environment and emerging awareness about water issues that are conducive to promoting and implementing regional opportunities for integrated water resource management;

• political stability in the region, which is a precondition for co-operation and development;

• the SADC Treaty which provides a framework for regional economic integration and co-operation, and identifies water as an area for regional partnerships; 

• the SADC Protocol on shared watercourse systems which forms a basis for the management of shared watercourse systems and the establishment of the SADC Water Sector as a distinct area of regional concern; and

•  reforms in line with the international consensus on integrated water resources management that has started in a number of member countries.

Box 4,  which follows, provides an overview of the seven components of the agreed Action Plan.  It will be noted that the Action Plan places primary emphasis on improving the enabling environment for more effective water resources development and management, not on "hard" infrastructure, per se.  Priority is given to such areas as legal/regulatory frameworks, policy formulation, management information systems, human and institutional capacity building, awareness-raising, and expanding stakeholder participation.  These elements are seen as critical for making water resources management truly integrated and holistic in approach, and for allowing SADC member-states to address the complex issues associated with managing river basins and other transboundary water matters. 

In order to translate the seven strategic objectives into tangible results and outcomes a list of priority projects and interventions were prepared, drawing upon the numerous project proposals and suggested interventions received from member-states, various SADC bodies and other organisations.  This list of priority projects was derived by screening all project submissions, based on the following selection criteria: 

• projects which have emerged as a common need within the integrated water resource development and management strategy for the SADC region;

• projects that are regional or have regional implications;

•  projects which will remove obstacles/constraints and create an enabling and conducive environment for joint, collaborative water development ventures; 

• projects which can be implemented in the short term and can lay the foundation for the medium to long term goals of SADC;

• support for ongoing projects that are proceeding with a proper level of performance, but where additional finance is required.

 SADC Water Sector Co-ordination Unit, Regional Strategic Action Plan for Integrated Water Resources Development and Management in the SADC Countries (1999-2004): Summary Report, Maseru, September 1998.

A total of 44 regional interventions are included in the Summary Report.  Of these, 31 have been identified as priority projects which meet all the selection criteria above and are being submitted for the consideration of the Round Table Conference. (The details are set out in Annex 3).  Of these 31 projects, 20 are deemed highest priority, having start dates in 1999. The time line/implementation schedule for the 31 projects are outlined in Annex 4.  Most of the national water projects submitted by the member states for review did not fit within the selection criteria, but may no doubt remain priority projects for each member state.  SADC recognises the importance of these projects, and included them as an annex to the Strategic Action Plan, with the understanding that this list represents additional opportunities for support from potential donors.  In short, not all interventions included in the Strategic Action Plan are being proposed for consideration within the RTC framework.

Rationale and Funding Proposals for Round Table Consideration >>

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