GROUNDWATER RESOURCE GOVERNANCE IN TRANSBOUNDARY AQUIFERS: Background, history, objectives,

structure and progress

Ivica TrumbicProject Manager

OBJECTIVES OF THE MEETING• To formally launch the project and update all parties on the progress of

the project’s implementation;• To ensure that all parties are familiar with the objectives, activities,

budget, deliverables and approach to the implementation of the project;• To present the roles, functions, and responsibilities of project’s

stakeholders, project’s Country Focal Points (CFPs) and other project partners;

• To present a preliminary estimate of the current state of data availability and ownership, required harmonization, and formatting;

• To discuss the assessment methodology and provide ideas for its adaptation to local conditions, including potential identification of additional, aquifer specific, indicators and potential field works (limited);

• To present, discuss, amend if needed, and adopt the project's overall workplan; and

• To agree on next steps and project milestones.

BASIC FACTS• Water Diplomacy Cluster of Swiss Development

Cooperation (SDC)• 3 aquifers: Central America (Trifinio), Central Asia

(Pretashkent), Southern Africa (Stampriet)• 8 countries• Project targets:– Improve knowledge and recognition of importance

and vulnerability of TBAs– Enhance cooperation and water security

• Two components

WHY THIS PROJECT?

• ISARM• 63rd session of the UN General Assembly

(UNGA) adopted Resolution A/RES/63/124 on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers: – “…encourages the States concerned to make

appropriate bilateral or regional arrangements for the proper management of their transboundary aquifers taking into account the provisions of the draft articles...”

• In 2011, another Resolution A/RES/66/104, adopted by the UNGA reiterates its call to States to “make appropriate bilateral or regional arrangements for the proper management of their transboundary aquifers”

• Calls upon UNESCO-IHP to offer scientific and technical assistance to the States concerned

• In June 2012, UNESCO IHP adopted Resolution IC/XX-3 (Annex 1), which requests the UNESCO IHP to continue the Study and Assessment of Transboundary Aquifers and Groundwater Resources and encourages Member States to cooperate on the study of their transboundary aquifers, with the support of the IHP.

UNESCO’s RESPONSE• In response to the call, UNESCO-IHP has prepared a proposal

for a project "Groundwater Resources Governance in Transboundary Aquifers" and submitted the proposal to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) within the frame of the SDC Strategic Framework 2010-2015

• SDC has provided a grant to prepare the project proposal• Following the acceptance of the project proposal (Credit

Proposal) in February 2013, UNESCO IHP prepared the overall project document in May 2013

• During the first half of 2013, UNESCO IHP met with major stakeholders in all three aquifer regions to discuss local and regional priorities and to prepare the case study specific project documents

GOALS

• To enhance cooperation on water security,• To reduce transboundary and water-use conflicts,

and • To improve overall environmental sustainability in

TBA regions.

AIMS

• To reinforce the capacity of Member States in managing groundwater resources;

• To strengthen cooperation among countries sharing the aquifer; and

• To develop a long term strategy for the monitoring and governance of the transboundary aquifer.

OUTCOMES

• Countries sharing the aquifer cooperate for the sustainable management of the resources, and

• Agree to take steps to deal with its transboundary implications through the political commitment to define and implement national and regional priority actions for the protection and equitable utilization of the aquifers.

OBJECTIVES

• Improve the knowledge and recognition of the importance and vulnerability of transboundary groundwater resources,

• Strengthen cross border dialogue and ‐cooperation,

• Develop shared management tools; and• Facilitate governance reforms focused on

improving livelihoods, economic development and environmental sustainability.

HOW THE PROJECTS WERE IDENTIFIED?

• Representativeness of different geological conditions, climatic regions, and socio economic conditions,‐

• There had to be existing cooperation with the countries and the IHP National Committees and favorable support from National Institutions;

• Location in areas affected by water scarcity, and vulnerable to climate change and variability;

• Possibilities to link the case studies’ in depth assessment to ‐projects being implemented by other organisations of being considered for GEF funding; and

• Based on countries’ priorities.

SELECTED CASE STUDIES

• The Kalahari-Karoo (Stampriet) Aquifer, shared by Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa

• The Esquipulas Ocotepeque Citalá (Trifinio) ‐ ‐Aquifer, shared by El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras

• The Pretashkent Aquifer, shared by Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

TWO-STEP APPROACH

• Building recognition of the shared nature of the resource, and mutual trust through joint fact finding and science based diagnostics (Component 1); and

• Reaching consensus on transboundary governance mechanisms (Component 2).

COMPONENT 1

• Builds on Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme (TWAP) methodology for the assessment of TBAs,

• Encompasses hydrogeological, environmental, socio-economic and governance dimensions of the aquifer systems

• The aquifer sharing states in each TBA should agree on a joint monitoring programme, which will be harmonized in terms of classifications, reference systems, language, format, software, etc., and lead to the establishment of a common dynamic information system.

COMPONENT 2

• Initiating the consultation process among countries,

• Facilitating the process of agreeing on priority issues, and

• Laying the foundations to establish cooperation mechanisms among countries.

• PHASE 2 ?

Project Management UnitUNESCO

Steering CommitteeSDC, UNESCO,

Countries

Central AmericaTrifinio

Transboundary AquiferEl Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

Central AsiaPretashkent

Transboundary AquiferKazakhstan, Uzbekistan

Southern AfricaStampriet

Transboundary AquiferNamibia, Botswana, South Africa

Regional Execution Team(IUCN, UNESCO-IGRAC, Countries)

OAS(Replication -

Dissemination)

UNESCO Regional Offices

ISARM Network

Regional Execution Team(UNESCO, UNESCO-IGRAC, Countries)

Regional Execution Team(UNESCO, UNESCO-IGRAC, Countries)

SADC(Replication -

Dissemination)

UNESCO Regional Offices

ISARM Network

UNESCO Regional Offices

ISARM Network

UNECE(Replication -

Dissemination)

Execution

support

Organization of the Management Unit andCross Cutting Functions

PROJECT MANAGER

SUPERVISORY GROUP

STREERING COMMITTEE

LEGAL ASPECTSIMPLEMENTATION OF INTRENATIONAL LAW AND AGREEMENTS(UNESCO, IUCN)

INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSREMOTE SENSING AND MODELING(UNESCO-IGRAC)

Central AmericaTrifinio

Transboundary AquiferEl Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras

NTTG - MCCB

Central AsiaPretashkent

Transboundary AquiferKazakhstan, Uzbekistan

NTTG - MCCB

Southern AfricaStampriet

Transboundary AquiferNamibia, Botswana, South Africa

NTTG - MCCB

WHY STAMPRIET?

LONG HISTORY OF COOPERATION• Regional cooperation in the water sector was established in 2000 through the

Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses in the Southern Africa Development Community.

• Of the 15 major river basins which are shared by two or more nations, 11 a Commission or Technical Committee.

• The Regional Strategic Action Plan for Integrated Water Resources Management (now in Phase III) and a Groundwater Programme as one of its components.

• ISARM-SADC became operative in 2007 in a network covering all SADC countries. By 2011 twenty-nine transboundary aquifer systems had been identified and broadly described in the region.

• Resolution in 2007 by the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) to ‘promote the institutionalisation of groundwater management by river basin organisations.

• In 2008 the ISARM-SADC decided on the Kalahari-Karoo aquifer system as the first pilot area in which to test transboundary aquifer management principles.

• In 200the, the ORASECOM became the first river basin commission in SADC to establish a Groundwater Technical Committee.

•