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Southern African Development Community (SADC):
SADC Regional Water Policy and Strategy |
SADC’s approach to the water sector is founded on the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and enabled by tools related to institutional development, capacity development, stakeholder participation, information management, integrated planning, conflict resolution and environmental management (SADC 2007).
The role of the Regional Water Policy (RWP) and the Regional Water Strategy (RWS) is to promote regional integration and poverty alleviation within the SADC region. Achieving these goals requires (SADC 2007):
- Cooperative management of shared watercourses within the region guided by the principles outlined in the Protocol on Shared Watercourses
- Harmonisation of national water sector management to facilitate integration and achieve the targets between Member States
The Revised Protocol on Shared Watercouses in SADC (Revised Protocol) provides the context for the RWP which states over-arching goals designed to be put into practice by the RWS. Important inputs to the RWS are the SADC Vision for Water, Life and the Environment and the Regional Framework for Action (RFFA). These led to the development of National Frameworks for Action, the National IWRM Plans (SADC 2007).
The overarching strategies within the RWP are (SADC 2007):
- Regional Cooperation in Water Resources Management
- Water for Development and Poverty Alleviation
- Water for Environmental Sustainability
- Security for Water-Related Disasters
- Water Resources Information and Management
- Water Resources Development and Management
- Regional Water Resources Institutional Framework
- Stakeholder Participation and Capacity Development
- Accessing Funding and Resources
