SADC AND PARTNERS TO DISCUSS TRANSBOUNDARY WATER FINANCING AT 9TH SADC RIVER BASIN ORGANIZATIONS WORKSHOP

The workshop will be held under the theme ‘Promoting Inclusive and Collaborative Transboundary Water Financing for Sustainable Industrial Development’.

Boy drawing water from an unprotected source in central Malawi

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) in collaboration with the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), and with the technical support of the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) is scheduled to convene the 9th SADC River Basin Organisations / Shared Watercourse Institutions (RBOs/SWIs) Workshop on 22-23 September 2021.

The workshop will be held under the theme ‘Promoting Inclusive and Collaborative Transboundary Water Financing for Sustainable Industrial Development’.

The workshop aims to promote sustainable industrial development in SADC by fully realizing the benefits of cooperation across shared waters. It will provide a platform for stakeholders from water and related sectors to share information and experiences on inclusive transboundary water financing and collaborative development in line with the theme.

The event is also intended to support the efforts of SADC Member States regarding the establishment, institutional development, and strengthening of RBOs/SWIs, as well as other transboundary water resources development and management mechanisms in the region.

The RBOs and SWIs will share various experiences and lessons on the theme.

The SADC RBOs/SWIs Workshop is a biennial event, which is organised with the aim of engaging RBOs as a vehicle for strengthening regional integration and cooperation.

The workshop further serves as a forum for RBOs/SWIs to share experiences and learn from each other.

It is also used to build consensus on the Region’s strategic approaches being promoted by SADC to increase water security and resilient development in the region.

This year’s event will bring together representatives of RBOs, SADC Member States, regional institutions, and other key SADC sectors (energy, food security, trade among others).

Funders targeted by the event include but are not limited to development finance institutions (DFIs), international financiers, climate funds, official development assistance (ODA) funders, and private financiers.

The funding support for the workshop is provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Resilient Waters Programme, and the GIZ Transboundary Water Management in the SADC region (TWM) Programme.