Cooperation: LCBC – IUCN
Workshop on transboundary governance and cooperation in the Lake Chad Basin
On 12 November 2019, a regional workshop on transboundary governance and cooperation of shared resources in the Lake Chad Basin took place at the Hotel Le Chari, N’Djamena. The workshop was organised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), through the Regional Project: Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE): Building dialogue and governance around rivers). This three-day workshop was attended by representatives of LCBC member countries and headquarters experts, IUCN experts, consultants and a representative of the Mono Basin Authority (river between Benin and Togo), a newly established basin authority.
The aims were on the one hand, to “capacity building of Lake Chad stakeholders on transboundary cooperation for the effective implementation of the Lake Chad Basin Water Charter” and, on the other hand, to enable participants to be informed about the concept of transboundary water management, water diplomacy or conflict management and cooperation. It also aimed at knowledge sharing on issues and challenges of cooperation and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in the Lake Chad Basin.
In his opening remarks, LCBC Executive Secretary, Ambassador Mamman NUHU, emphasized on hydro-diplomacy, a new concept that requires cooperation, negotiation and increased agreement on IWRM in the Basin, through its tools such as the Water Charter, in the implementation of major projects likely to have significant adverse transboundary effects in the basin with the agreement of all. The ES reminded participants that “the Water Charter developed by LCBC was ratified by four out of the six member countries and that the process of its entry into force is under way.”
The Representative of IUCN for Central and West Africa in his remarks expressed his gratitude to LCBC for the fruitful cooperation between both institutions. The Representative indicated that water control and its sustainable use nowadays is a major challenge at all levels of a country or river basin. It requires implementation with the effective and active participation of all stakeholders as part of dialogue.”
It should be noted that IUCN, through the BRIDGE Project, supports LCBC member countries in the implementation of effective water management that promotes a shared vision of water allocation principles and benefits, as well as transparent and consistent institutional frameworks. This support has been translated into the establishment of multi-stakeholder consultation platforms in the Chari Logone sub-basin, the establishment of a network of Lake Chad Basin Water Ambassadors, capacity building for stakeholders on transboundary water governance, and awareness-raising among local stakeholders on the water provisions of the Lake Chad Basin.
