INBO 9 22/09/00 10:26 Page 1 Special Issue INBO General Assembly Zakopane - Poland - 30 Sept. 2000 RESEAU INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL NETWORK RED INTERNACIONAL DES ORGANISMES DE BASSIN OF BASIN ORGANIZATIONS DE ORGANISMOS DE CUENCA 3rd QUARTER OF 2000 N° 9 THE INBO/GWP ASSOCIATED PROGRAM: Developing and strengthening River Basin Organizations over the World exchange of information and ex- ● to run a small secretariat to periences. This is what they have coordinate the program, been doing for the last years. ● to finance the proposed activi- INBO is a worldwide network, ties. but some of its members may wish to cooperate on a more regional ba- The AP’s activities fall into sis. The Latin-American members four different categories: ntegrated Water Resources of INBO for example decided in Management (IWRM) is a glo- ❶ Twinning for direct coope- 1998 to create also their own net- ration between existing, fu- I bal concept which purpose is to work, LANBO, but they still belong help in preparing and implemen- ture or pilot basin organiza- to INBO. This type of approach has tions. ting economic and social develop- been found interesting both by ment policies compatible with the Asian and East European coun- ❷ Professional Assistance from water resources of the country tries. existing organizations to help and, at the same time, preparing with the setting-up, develop- and implementing water policies The cooperation takes place ment and progress of other compatible with the global objec- of course on a voluntary basis. existing or new organiza- tives of the given country. In the last years, and in rela- tions. Among the tools available for tion to the activities of GWP, ❸ Synthesis of available this purpose, river basin organiza- members of INBO and persona- knowledge and know-how. tions, when well conceived and ma- lities active in the water field in This activity would provide naged, are one of the most efficient. many countries, found that the a good input to the toolbox amount of experience and ex- and shall be conducted in River Basin Organizations pertise assembled between IN- (RBOs) were created a long time close relationship with the BO members could be used FFA Toolbox team. ago in different parts of the world more proactively to help pro- with different goals and struc- gress between members but al- ❹ Networking of documenta- tures: navigation, flood protection, so to help other countries wi- tion systems. This again is electricity production. Only fairly den the scope of existing insti- very close to the Toolbox recently, some of them have been tutions or create new ones, to initiative, and is implemen- created with IWRM in mind and manage, in an integrated way, ted in close cooperation some of the old ones have seen rivers, lakes or aquifers. and without overlapping. their goals expanded to face the new challenges. This Associated Program was The new INBO/GWP prepared by INBO in close coope- A lot has still to be done to im- Associated Program ration with GWP, following the im- prove the efficiency of the existing pulse given by INBO Liaison RBOs and create new ones when The gist of this Associated Program is precisely to help on Bureau during its meeting in needed. They all will have to evol- Madrid (Spain) in April 1999. ve with time. a broad basis the improvement and development of RBOs It was approved by GWP au- The International Network oriented truly to the implemen- thorities during Stockholm of Basin Organizations (INBO), tation of IWRM policies. Assembly in August 2000 and will as a network of many existing be presented to the next INBO RBOs, has been precisely set up As the financial status of the General Assembly in Zakopane to encourage cooperation bet- RBOs seldom allow them to (Poland) in October 2000. ween these organizations and spend money on outside coope- help them progress through ration activities, there is a need for donor money: The network newsletter INBO 9 21/09/00 16:21 Page 2 INBO AT THE WORLD WATER FORUM IN THE HAGUE he par- tion, while meeting the re- tici- quirements of various uses T pants and more generally, pre- in the Work- serving the biodiversity of shop, organi- the aquatic environment. zed by the In- ternational All these issues can no Network of Basin Organiza- longer be approached by tions during the day devoted to sector or localization, nor “Water in Rivers” in the approached separately. Loo- WORLD WATER FORUM, on king for solutions the objec- 20 March 2000 in THE tive of which is sustainable HAGUE, formulated the follo- water use must associate wing recommendations: the national and local autho- rities together with the users A sound management of in integrated water re- water resources is a prerequisi- sources management which te to ensure quality of life on respects the natural environ- our planet and sustainable so- ment, and is organized on cioeconomic development. the scale of river basins. lakes and seas, especially wi- ☛ to design information and The issues raised are com- INBO recommends thin specific international com- training programs for local plex and the solutions must at that: missions. elected officials, the repre- the same time allow for: ❶ Integrated water re- sentatives of users and the Integrated water resources different stakeholders invol- ■ the contending with natural sources and environmen- management implies that com- disasters and risks of ero- tal management be orga- ved in water management prehensive and permanent in- as well as for the executives sion, floods or drought, ta- nized on the scale of large formation systems are develo- king into account land and river basins in order to and staff of the member ba- ped at all relevant levels, espe- sin organizations, water management, meet rightful needs in the cially for each national or sha- best way possible, ■ the reliable meeting of ur- red river basin, to acquire bet- ☛ to encourage education of ban and rural populations’ ❷ Local Authorities, all the ter knowledge of the status of the population, the young in requirements in terms of various categories of water resources and ecosys- particular, good quality drinking water, users and the civil society tems, in terms of quality and ☛ quantity, of their uses and of to evaluate ongoing actions in order to improve hygiene participate in the formula- and disseminate their re- and health and to prevent tion of water policy within the point and non-point pollu- tion discharged. sults by developing, in parti- important outbreaks of di- river basin committees in cular, a global integrated sease, particular, Information and training ca- system for the exchange of ■ the reclamation of farm- ❸ Basin Master Plans be pacities should be developed documentation among the lands and the development formulated with medium for the representatives of local basin organizations. authorities and users to enable of appropriate irrigation sys- and long term objectives INBO draws the attention of tems to reach food self-suf- and implemented within them to fully assume the res- ponsibilities and missions assi- governments and bi and multi- ficiency, Five-Year Priority Action lateral cooperation agencies on Programs, gned to them within the frame- ■ harmoniously developing work of the basin policy. the prime importance of using industry, energy production, ❹ Specific financing sys- the above principles and recreational activities and, tems, based on the The International Network means in their programs to en- in some areas, tourism and “users-polluters-pay” of Basin Organizations ap- sure sound water management waterways navigation, principle, be developed in proved the draft Associated at river basin level which is a order that “water pays for Program prepared to fit in prerequisite to the future sus- ■ preventing and controlling water” with a basin com- with the “Global Water Part- tainable development of man- pollution of all kinds and ori- mon cause concept. nership”. kind. gins, in order to preserve aquatic ecosystems and Cooperation agreements Its objectives are: more especially, to protect should be signed and formali- ☛ to develop permanent rela- fauna and optimize fish far- zed between riparian countries tions with the organizations ming for human consump- regarding large shared rivers, interested in integrated wa- ter resources management at the level of large river ba- sins in order to facilitate ex- changes of experience and expertise among them, ☛ to facilitate the develop- ment of tools for institutional and financial management, programming, the organiza- tion of databases, models adapted to the needs, 2 The Network Newsletter - N° 9 - 3rd Quarter of 2000 INBO 9 21/09/00 16:21 Page 3 INTERNATIONAL WORLD WATER VISION CONCLUSIONS OF THE 2ND WORLD WATER FORUM IN THE HAGUE,THE NETHERLANDS he World Water Council ● to increase the aware- All outputs of the Vision initiated the World Water ness of populations and process were presented and T Vision in accordance decision-makers about wa- discussed during the second with the conclusions of the first ter issues to obtain political World Water Forum, held from GLOBWINET World Water Forum organized commitments in order to 17 to 22 March 2000 in The www.globwinet.org in Marrakech, Morocco in 1997. solve these problems in a Hague, the Netherlands. They the Global Water Information The aim of the World Water serious and systematic were also integrated into fra- Network - is one of the Asso- Vision project was to develop a manner; meworks for action at the natio- ciated Programs of the Glo- vision widely shared about ac- ● to provide the World Water nal or regional level with the bal Water Partnership tions needed to achieve a set of Council with data for the pre- participation of the Global (GWP). It is funded by the Ger- common objectives.