Naivasha (Kenya), July 07, 2015: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Water Unit in collaboration with the International Union for the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) kick-started a two-day training course on Hydro-diplomacy and International Water Law (IWL) to officials hailing from IGAD member states water sector ministries in Naivasha, Kenya, today. The core aim of this training course is to create capacity in getting a thorough understanding of the formulation of a regional water protocol; which draft protocol is already in the pipeline as the first IGAD Regional Water Protocol and is going to be discussed during the 7th Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the IGAD Water Unit that will be held in the same premises July 8th and 9th immediately after the training course ends.
More precisely the objectives of the course on the hydro diplomacy and International Water Law (IWL) are to review basic concepts on International Water Law, to practice the usefulness and applicability of IWL, and to strengthen and level capacities of the IGAD Water Unit TAC members.
In his opening speech, Dr Guleid Artan, Director of IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC), sitting for the Executive Secretary of IGAD, highlighted that the continuous and well maintained attendance to IGAD Water TAC meetings showed strong commitment to dialogue and cooperation in shared water resources management.
“I thank the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for supporting us in this endeavour, and I know that IUCN already sponsored another workshop on one of their Programmes called Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) beginning of May in Entebbe”, he said. He also highlighted IGAD Executive Secretary’s “satisfaction to this fruitful cooperation” between the two organizations”.
It is within the IUCN BRIDGE Programme that support is brought to the IGAD Water Unit in fostering dialogue and discussion over shared water resources, and more specifically in assisting IGAD Water Unit in taking to completion issues left hanging by the European Union-funded and recently closed Inland Water Resources Management Programme (INWRMP) such as the IGAD Regional Water Protocol.
To Juan Carlos Sanchez, Lead Training Facilitator of IUCN, “this exercise is aiming at strengthening the ties between TAC members and between countries by discussion and analysis of technical issues related to International Water Law”.
