UNDP/GEF Project ʽRegional Dialogue and Twinning to Improve Transboundary Water Resources Management in Africaʼ or 'Petersberg Africa' project has been approved

The project goal is to increase African leadersʼ and stakeholderʼs knowledge and political will for balancing sustainable uses of water resources at the transboundary and regional basin systems scales by institutionalizing systems-thinking and adaptive management feedback mechanisms.

The project will contribute to achieving this goal through 3 mutually instructive objectives in support of the continent wide GEF and other donor funded transboundary water cooperation initiatives:

Objective 1. To facilitate implementation of partnerships, exchanges of experience, and learning on policy, legal and institutional reform for transboundary waters management through increased knowledge and capacity of decision-makers, legislators and public opinion-makers
Objective 2. To enhance regional and national knowledge and capacity for the management and planning of shared water resource systems through the integration of groundwater dimensions, climate impacts and development of science and policy linkages for river basin and lake system management;
Objective 3. To strengthen investment planning processes in shared water resources management and infrastructure by sharing lessons on transition from donor support to self-sustaining regional water institutions and providing a basis for assessing optimal investments in support of benefit sharing discourse

GWP-Med in collaboration with MIO-ECSDE and the two Circles that we jointly facilitate ie. COMPSUD (Parliamentarians) and COMJESD (media), participate in the programme and particularly in Objective 1. Collaborations with Objective 2 (groundwater) are also foreseen.

Main focus themes of activities are on groundwater management and climate change, within the overall IWRM approach and considerations.

Focus area is the North African countries and their interaction with the African as well as the Euro-Mediterranean context. Among other key partners, collaboration is foreseen with GWP East Africa. The target groups are Parliamentarians and Media while interaction with water stakeholders will be facilitated.

Activities will be implemented from September 2007 to May 2010 and the total foreseen budget is 120,000 USD, with 60,000 USD contributed by UNDP/GEF. It is anticipated that, because of its nature, the project will attract interest and further support.