The Advanced Course on Transboundary Water Governance is a joint initiative of the Andean Centre for International Studies of the Simon Bolivar Andean University – Ecuador (Centro Andino de Estudios Internacionales la Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, CAEI-UASB) and IUCN through the Building River Dialogue and Governance (IUCN-BRIDGE) project. In this second edition, the GEF project “Integrated Management of Water Resources of the Mira-Mataje and Carchi-Guaitara, Colombia–Ecuador Binational Basins”, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), joined in.
For five weeks, officials from Ministries of Environment, Water Authorities, Ministries of Foreign Affairs and decentralised governments shared their knowledge and experiences on shared water sustainable management. The course approached water diplomacy as a perspective that seeks the communion between a set of technical skills related to eco-hydrology and agreement negotiating skills, which enable planning and implementation of sustainable water management at transboundary level.
The course also provided conceptual foundations ranging from hydrological modelling to strengthening watershed organisations, highlighting the importance of integrated water resources management at all levels (local, national and regional) to achieve the sustainable development goals (SDG 6.5) as well as the prevention and resolution of conflicts over such a valuable resource as water.
At the end of the course, Kenneth Peralta, Regional Programme Officer of the Swiss Cooperation (SDC), gave a speech, where he highlighted the importance of shared content in the framework of good governance and sustainable management of shared water. Among others, he highlighted that Switzerland supports capacity-strengthening programmes on these issues, in order to contribute to improve water governance. This will benefit end users, who will have equitable and sustainable access to water sources, promoting social, economic and ecologic development, seeing water as a vehicle for peace in the region.
Water diplomacy is a concept that is gaining global attention when water scarcity, both due to climate change and pollution caused by inadequate practices, forces states to seek cooperative solutions to common problems. Water, as a focal point for integration of multiple human activities, has the potential to open this kind of dialogue.
Thus, a third edition of the course is expected to be held in the first half of 2024, where more stakeholders can strengthen their capacities in this relevant topic.
Source: BRIDGE Project
About BRIDGE
BRIDGE is a global initiative that seeks to strengthen institutions in charge of managing transboundary basins for the sustainable management of shared water and freshwater ecosystems, promote blue peace and regional integration in the long term, and increase water security. In more than a decade of experience, and thanks to funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, IUCN has developed approaches and tools that enable more equitable sharing of benefits associated with shared water use, while incorporating intersectionality approaches and nature-based solutions. BRIDGE also offers the possibility to review, strengthen and update legal frameworks and institutions that enable sustainable management of transboundary basins, providing solutions tailored to local geographic contexts and priorities while supporting the urgent call to accelerate transboundary cooperation for integrated water management at a global level (SDG 6.5).
Related links:
Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y Bolivia fortalecerán capacidades en gobernanza de los recursos hídricos transfronterizos (Span)
Curso en gobernanza de aguas transfronterizas inicia el 24 de mayo (Span)
Finalizó la primera edición del curso avanzado en gobernanza de aguas transfronterizas en América del Sur (Span)
More information:
FS (Span) BRIDGE Project. Building River Dialogue and Governance
