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AMCOW Bulletin
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Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
<http://iisd.ca>
Vol. 4 No. 5
Thursday, 31 May 2007
AMCOW-6 HIGHLIGHTS:
WEDNESDAY, 30 MAY 2007
AMCOW-6 <http://www.iisd.ca/africa/water/amcow/> commenced on Wednesday, 30
May. During the opening session, participants heard statements from ministers,
representatives of international and non-governmental organizations and Isidore
Mvouba, Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo. In the afternoon, outgoing
AMCOW President Mutagamba presented the President’s policy statement and
ministers discussed the composition of the next AMCOW bureau.
OPENING SESSION
Halifa Drammeh, UNEP <http://www.unep.org/> , stated that Africa is a region of
contrasts in terms of water availability, with the Congo River Basin
<http://www.congo-pages.org/congo.htm> alone providing 50 per cent of the
water resources available for the entire continent. Regarding achievements, he
said AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> is fully operational and is the
preeminent intergovernmental authority for addressing water challenges in
Africa, supported by a collective political will directed towards sound
management of Africa’s water resources.
Edward Kairu, ANEW, presented a statement on behalf of civil society and the
media, which includes sections on institutional issues, financial mechanisms,
community empowerment and partnership building for achieving the MDGs. He
requested support for AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> ’s activities and
said civil society and the media are prepared to work with governments on their
national water management plans and engage in research, information
dissemination and sharing experiences of pilot water projects. He urged AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> to undertake a number of commitments, such
as: supporting and funding activities of civil society organizations and the
media; endorsing civil society and media efforts at awareness raising,
information exchange and capacity building; and ensuring participation of all
stakeholders, especially women and children.
Agnes Nansubuga, youth representative, highlighted challenges in water
provision, including pollution, conflicts, and the declining health of
ecosystems. She called on governments to: protect and manage water resources
sustainably; implement cleaner production methods; properly treat industrial
waste; undertake education and public awareness campaigns; and involve youth in
the planning and implementation of water policies. She noted how joint efforts
could be effective in reducing effects of unsafe water, and could improve
quality of life. She challenged ministers by stating that: “the children of
Africa are ready to work with you, are you ready to work with us?” Paul Lesly
Sambala, youth representative, appealed for the provision of safe drinking
water and sanitation for all and the extension of water networks in cities and
rural areas to enable children to grow and develop in a safe environment. He
called for improving and maintaining water infrastructure facilities and making
efforts to address deforestation. He also urged for increasing children’s
involvement in water and environmental issues and expressed hope that AMCOW-6
<http://www.iisd.ca/africa/water/amcow/> would lead to a brighter future for
all children.
Karl Wokalek, German Ambassador to Republic of Congo, emphasized the importance
his country attaches to water issues and underscored its commitment during its
G8 presidency to build on previous G8 efforts in this area. He acknowledged
challenges that may impact on Africa’s ability to meet the MDGs, stressing the
importance of water for strengthening sustainable development, food security
and peace, and for combating poverty in the region. Regarding the
transboundary nature of water resources, Amb. Wokalek underscored the benefits
of joint management and close cooperation between neighboring countries, in
addition to effective strategies for addressing climate change.
Aly Kerdany, GWP, underscored the “visionary theme” of the meeting and
explained that multistakeholder partnerships are integral to achieving
progress. Highlighting the centrality of improving water supply and sanitation
for achieving all the MDGs, he recommended that a number of approaches be
undertaken to develop the water sector in Africa: adopting IWRM; including all
stakeholders in planning, particularly the most vulnerable groups; building
cross-sectoral partnerships, with an emphasis on engaging ministries of finance
and the private sector; focusing on the effects of climate change; and
promoting dialogue.
Kordjé Bedoumra, President, African Development Bank, urged African countries
to take advantage of their water resources. He said AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> acts as a key platform for developing
African water policy, but that much work remains to be done to achieve the
water-related MDG targets by 2015. He underlined the necessity for Africa to
prepare for the International Year of Sanitation in 2008 and for the African
Water Week, and outlined a number of related preparatory meetings.
Babaganaa Ahmadu, AUC, drew attention to the forthcoming 2008 AU Summit on
water and sanitation. Noting that 25 per cent of all renewable freshwater
resources come from the Congo Basin, he urged AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> to recognize the region’s importance and
give the Congo Basin the support it needs. He highlighted climate change
deliberations during the January 2007 AU Summit, which recognized the need to
implement adaptation measures, and emphasized that 80 per cent of natural
disasters in Africa are related to water. He urged integrating adaptation
measures into AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> programmes and
activities at all levels, and taking advantage of irrigation opportunities to
reverse negative trends in agricultural production. He recognized 2007-2008 as
a defining period for AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> as it moves
towards integration with the AU as a specialized technical committee (STC), and
urged AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> and the AU to work together to
harness international assistance for developing the water sector.
Noting lack of access to water for over 300 million people in Africa, incoming
AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> President Bruno Itoua, Republic of
Congo Minister of Energy and Water, said progress on improving water and
sanitation on the continent has been insufficient. He emphasized the need for
the rational use of resources and better management of water. Looking towards
the future, he said AMCOW must improve its governance and institutional
structure. He acknowledged financial support from the EU, GTZ and UNDP, urged
others to follow suit, and hoped AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> would
establish some innovative instruments to address water issues.
Outgoing AMCOW President Maria Mutagamba, Ugandan Minister of Water and
Environment, recalled that five years ago AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> was conceived by a small group in Nairobi,
and has now grown into a continental forum. She said the MDG targets on water
and sanitation must be met by 2015 in order to influence the achievement of
other water-related MDG targets, and underscored improving water security as
critical in achieving these targets. She reviewed measures undertaken by AMCOW,
such as promoting implementation mechanisms and partnerships on water. She
highlighted the consolidation of water governance in Africa through AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> activities and urged the government of
Republic of Congo to support the incoming AMCOW President to enable him to
preside effectively. Mutagamba also urged Itoua to work on sensitizing finance
ministers to water issues. Concluding, she said opportunities for women and
children must be guaranteed and hoped women’s voices would be better heard at
the next AMCOW meeting.
Isidore Mvouba, Prime Minister of Republic of Congo, stressed the importance of
tackling the water supply and sanitation challenges facing Africa. Noting the
importance of the Brazzaville meeting in bringing together key ministers and
stakeholders to address these issues, he stressed the importance of AMCOW as a
means for promoting cooperation, security and solidarity. He underlined that
water is the source of life and the foundation for development and stressed the
need to promote the supply, use and management of water to achieve sustainable
development without ignoring the preservation of ecosystems. Mvouba further
emphasized the need to mobilize further resources to address water issues and
achieve the MDGs.
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
POLICY STATEMENT BY AMCOW PRESIDENT
Maria Mutagamba, presented the AMCOW President’s Handover Report, observing
that a key strategy for engaging in the regional integration process lies in
consolidating and strengthening relations with: entities such as NEPAD
<http://www.iisd.ca/africa/water/amcow/nepad.html> ; parallel ministerial
bodies like the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN)
<http://www.iisd.ca/africa/amcen.html> and African Ministerial Council on
Science and Technology (AMCOST) <http://www.nepadst.org/> ; and civil society
organizations, river and lake basin authorities and regional development
organizations. She noted AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> ’s “coming of
age”, adding that her tenure had witnessed the evolution of AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> into a credible entity with many African
governments now recognizing the pressing and urgent need to address water
policy challenges. She emphasized that the outgoing ExCom members' tenure had
been a defining period, and that both the regional and international context
had been significantly altered. Acknowledging the daunting challenges that lay
ahead, she noted successes including: the operationalization of the ExCom, TAC
and subregional ministerial committees and structures; the adoption at AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> -5 of a triennial work programme containing
specific priorities for action; and the leveraging of 2.6 million Euros from
the EU and US$100,000 from UNEP to enable AMCOW to finance its core meetings
and activities. She said that AMCOW had succeeded in building a platform for
defining Africa’s water agenda and priorities and presenting a single voice in
interacting with the international community. She outlined how partnerships had
been brokered and consolidated with donors and other partners, in addition to
the facilitation of interministerial dialogue with regional organizations and
civil society organizations, and how resources had been mobilized. Mutagamba
spoke of the need to strengthen the AMCOW Secretariat to: enable it to
effectively implement Council decisions; and ensure the best strategic input
into AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> decision making by creating a
resource facility or center that builds on past experiences in partnership with
relevant institutions and agencies. She paid tribute to people who had been
instrumental in AMCOW’s success during her tenure and proposed the
establishment of an award scheme to honor them.
Mutagamba addressed key challenges and the way forward including: further
engaging in the regional integration process by completing AMCOW’s
transformation into a STC of the AU; strengthening governance structures and
support mechanisms; further exploring modalities for strengthening subregional
structures and institutional relationships with African river and lake basin
organizations and effectively engaging with the private sector. Regarding the
AWF, she noted the need to strengthen communication between the AWF and AMCOW
<http://www.amcow.org/index1.php> and for AWF to establish a monitoring and
evaluation system for the water and sanitation sector. She concluded by
expressing her appreciation for the honor accorded to her for serving as AMCOW
President and officially launched the status report “Getting Africa on Track to
meet the MDGs on Water and Sanitation”, which is a status overview of sixteen
African countries.
CONSIDERATION OF THE PROPOSALS FROM THE SUBREGIONS ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE
2007-2009 AMCOW BUREAU
Outgoing President Mutagamba turned to the election of the new AMCOW President,
and called on ExCom Western African Subregional Vice-President Asfaw Dingamo,
Ethiopia, to announce the nomination of Itoua as President. Itoua was elected
by acclamation, and commended the competence of outgoing President Mutagamba,
thanked her for a superb job and hoped she would be available for
consultations, if needed.
Regarding the bureau for 2007-2009, ETHIOPIA, for Eastern Africa, communicated
the following nominations for his subregion: ExCom members - Sudan, Ethiopia
and Burundi as Vice President; TAC members - Kenya, Burundi, Ethiopia, Tanzania
and Sudan; AWF Subcommittee - Rwanda and Tanzania; and EU Water Initiative
Subcommittee - Kenya, with Sudan as the alternate member.
ALGERIA, for Northern Africa, noted the following nominations for his
subregion: ExCom members - Egypt, Tunisia, and with Mauritania as
Vice-President; and TAC members - Mauritania, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and
Libya.
For Western Africa, BURKINA FASO forwarded the following nominations: ExCom
members - Ghana, Togo and Senegal as Vice-President; TAC members - Benin, Mali,
Senegal, Niger and Nigeria; and AWF Subcommittee member - Burkina Faso.
For Southern Africa, LESOTHO said the ExCom members would be Botswana and
Zambia, with Lesotho continuing as Vice-President until further notice. He also
said that TAC members would be communicated to the President at a future date,
pending consultations.
For Central Africa, Itoua detailed his subregion’s nominations: ExCom members -
Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad as Vice-President; and
TAC members - Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Cameroon
and Central African Republic.
These nominations were accepted by the AMCOW <http://www.amcow.org/index1.php>
, and Itoua noted that, in accordance with the rules of procedure, Republic of
Congo would chair the TAC. He urged other subregions to submit nominations for
the subcommittees.
SUMMARY: A summary of the meeting will be available on Monday, 4 June at
www.iisd.ca/africa/water/amcow/
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