THE Zambezi Watercourse Commission agreement, a project meant to harness and harmonise the management and development of the water resources of the mighty Zambezi River, was signed recently by eight SADC member states.
The agreement was signed last month in Kasane, Botswana by ministers responsible for the water from the seven of the eight riparian countries of Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania. The signing of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission agreement is one of SADC’s achievements towards poverty eradication and economic development as outlined in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.The signing is also aimed at benefiting trade, food security, peace and regional security and transport and communication.According to SADC Today – a bi-monthly report on SADC issues – the Zambezi Commission is one of the goals set for the Zambezi Action Programme that seeks participation of all the riparian states in making decisions on the management of the river basin.The commission is one of the goals of the Zambezi Action Programme which aims at demonstrating that management of the river basin should not be restricted just to the river and its immediate environment but to every aspect of development in the region.”SADC has identified poverty reduction as the number one priority on its integration agenda, and the launch signifies strategies for poverty reduction through shared resources including water,” said the report.Another objective of the commission is to promote the equitable and reasonable utilisation of the water resources of the Zambezi as well as efficient management and sustainable development.The commission will be governed by three organs, the council of ministers, the technical committee and the secretariat.Functions of the commission include to collect, evaluate and disseminate information on the Zambezi Watercourse which is necessary for the implementation of the agreement, advise member states on the planning, management, utilisation, development, protection and conservation of the watercourse and on the role and position of the public with regard to such activities and the possible impact on social and cultural heritage matters.The commission is also expected to foster awareness among inhabitants of the Zambezi Watercourse of the equitable utilisation and efficient management and its sustainable development, cooperate with SADC institutions as well as other national and international organisations and assist in the harmonisation of national water policies and legislative measures.Coordinated by the SADC secretariat, negotiations for the establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission were concluded in Windhoek in March this year.Negotiations, though, date back to late 1980s but were suspended in the early 1990s to allow for discussions on the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses signed in 1995.The protocol was revised in 2000 and ratified in 2003.The Zambezi basin covers a total area of 5,7 million sq km and an in basin of 1,3 million sq km between the eight riparian states.The river flows through western Angola, western and southern Zambia, into Lake Kariba across northern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique into the Indian Ocean.The signing of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission agreement is one of SADC’s achievements towards poverty eradication and economic development as outlined in the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan.The signing is also aimed at benefiting trade, food security, peace and regional security and transport and communication.According to SADC Today – a bi-monthly report on SADC issues – the Zambezi Commission is one of the goals set for the Zambezi Action Programme that seeks participation of all the riparian states in making decisions on the management of the river basin.The commission is one of the goals of the Zambezi Action Programme which aims at demonstrating that management of the river basin should not be restricted just to the river and its immediate environment but to every aspect of development in the region.”SADC has identified poverty reduction as the number one priority on its integration agenda, and the launch signifies strategies for poverty reduction through shared resources including water,” said the report.Another objective of the commission is to promote the equitable and reasonable utilisation of the water resources of the Zambezi as well as efficient management and sustainable development.The commission will be governed by three organs, the council of ministers, the technical committee and the secretariat.Functions of the commission include to collect, evaluate and disseminate information on the Zambezi Watercourse which is necessary for the implementation of the agreement, advise member states on the planning, management, utilisation, development, protection and conservation of the watercourse and on the role and position of the public with regard to such activities and the possible impact on social and cultural heritage matters.The commission is also expected to foster awareness among inhabitants of the Zambezi Watercourse of the equitable utilisation and efficient management and its sustainable development, cooperate with SADC institutions as well as other national and international organisations and assist in the harmonisation of national water policies and legislative measures.Coordinated by the SADC secretariat, negotiations for the establishment of the Zambezi Watercourse Commission were concluded in Windhoek in March this year.Negotiations, though, date back to late 1980s but were suspended in the early 1990s to allow for discussions on the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses signed in 1995.The protocol was revised in 2000 and ratified in 2003.The Zambezi basin covers a total area of 5,7 million sq km and an in basin of 1,3 million sq km between the eight riparian states.The river flows through western Angola, western and southern Zambia, into Lake Kariba across northern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique into the Indian Ocean.
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