15-07-2018, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia): The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Water Resources Management yesterday July 14 embarked on a two-day meeting aimed at being briefed on the ongoing IGAD Water Programme, the recent developments in instruments of international water law, and to be exposed to the concept and logical steps of mainstreaming gender in policy and programme cycles.
Expert representatives from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), John Owino – Programme Officer at the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional Office in Nairobi – and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), Dr Sonja Koeppel – Geneva based Environment Affairs Officer at the Convention on the Protection and Use of Trans-boundary Watercourses and International Lakes in Geneva – are also participating in this technical meeting.
In his opening remarks, the Director of Boundary and Trans-boundary Rivers Affairs Directorate at the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity of Ethiopia, Mr. Teshom Atnafie, welcomed the TAC members. “There is transformation going on in our region”, he said. “We are in a situation where we are working to strengthen our relations with our neighboring countries”, he added.
He reaffirmed Ethiopia’s readiness to cooperate with its neighbors on trans-boundary water resources development and management for the benefits of the population of the region.
The Director of Agriculture and Environment of IGAD, Mr. Mohamed Moussa, stated that during the meeting, TAC members will be briefed on the status of the water programme and projects at the regional organisation. He also reminded the TAC members that IGAD is a gender sensitive organization. “The IGAD Regional Water Policy favours gender mainstreaming in all water programmes and projects, and this is the reason why the gender component is brought in the agenda of this TAC meeting”, he said.
