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T
ransboundary
W
ater
M
anagement
following categories: economic well-being; social and human develop-
ment; education and training; and sustainable ecosystem and natural
resources management.
These two initiatives demonstrate two different approaches to
mobilizing local populations for transboundary water management.
On one side, the GWN has favoured the twinning of communities,
while on the other side the ERP has facilitated the emergence of a
basin-wide network. These approaches have been designed firstly to
match the characteristics and profiles of the territories where they
have been implemented. In the political context of the Jordan basin,
it is a challenge to organise regional meetings on a regular basis. The
logistical and political constraints between Jordan, Israel and the
Palestinian territories are the major obstacle to implementing such
a mechanism in this basin.
NGOs played a key role in the achievement of these successful
enterprises. They initiated the projects, supported and followed the
communities by teaching them and showing them how to improve
their environment, and facilitated the relations among and between
the parties: communities, political authorities and international
donors who funded these projects.
In both cases, the success of these initiatives has been built
around three steps: identification of the population needs, capac-
ity building and financial independence. Apart from the dedicated
trainings and workshops, the participation of the communities
in these projects was a capacity building programme by itself.
Through the different activities implemented, the communities
could develop their technical, administrative and negotiation
knowledge and abilities. This allows them to play a more effective
role in transboundary water interactions.
In both cases again, the NGOs looked for executing income-gener-
ating activities to decrease communities’ dependence on external
funding. Neighbours‘ Paths, trophy hunting or handicrafts have been
developed to provide a supplementary source of income
to communities and to alleviate poverty in poor areas.
These community transboundary projects have
enabled communities to:
• Build a peaceful environment to manage
transboundary water resources
• Improve water management at the local level with a
direct benefit for its inhabitants
• Reduce poverty with participative practices and the
creation of new income generating activities
• Strengthen relational and social learning among
communities from the different sides of the border
• Develop communities’ knowledge and reflection on
their practices, their respective issues, their causes
and their consequences.
Transboundary cooperation is not only a venue for
high-level political players; local communities have a
role to play as well. The participation processes applied
in the Jordan and Okavango basins facilitated water
cooperation, sustainability and poverty reduction. A
community identity has arisen, not associated to a
country, but to a river basin. An international NGO,
the International Secretariat for Water, is promoting
this ideal and has created a Blue Passport to reinforce
citizenship awareness throughout river basins world-
wide. All basiners can obtain their Blue Passport to
affirm that they belong to a hydrographical ecosys-
tem and to demonstrate their commitments for water
in their river basin. In addition to being citizens of
Namibia, Botswana or Angola, people can now claim
their citizenship of the Okavango River Basin.
Ecological gardens have been built in local schools in the Jordan River Basin
Water pump in Seronga, Botswana
Image: B Noury
Image: B Noury