The Steering Committee of the Amazon Basin Project (SCP) met this Tuesday, 16, at ACTO headquarters in Brasilia for its third annual meeting. The SCP is the main authority of the Project and is formed by its Focal Points in the eight Amazonian countries and representatives of the UNEP Implementing Agency and the SP/OTCA Executing Agency.
At the opening of the event, Edith Paredes, Administrative Director of ACTO, highlighted the importance of this regional collaboration for the integrated management of water resources in the Amazon. “This meeting is an example of work, dialogue, exchange and coordinated cooperation at the technical level on a topic of common interest to all.”
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- Director Edith Paredes at the opening of the scP. To her right, Isabelle Vanderbeck, UNEP Programme Manager. At left, Maria Apostolova, regional coordinator of the Amazon Basin Project.
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- The delegations of the 8 countries gathered in the ARO room
For her part, Isabelle Vanderbeck, UNEP Program Manager, stressed the importance of working together on the project and expressed her support for this initiative, recognizing the efforts of all those involved in the Project and highlighting the work with the different sectors, levels of government and society.
The Regional Project Coordination (UCR) presented the Project Implementation Report for the year 2023, highlighting at regional level the creation of the Amazon Network of Water Authorities (RADA), whose objective is cooperation and mutual support in the sustainable management and monitoring of water resources in the Amazon, in order to guarantee the human right to water and revitalize, conserve and protect water sources.
The UCR also presented the progress of regional products, such as the Integrated Regional Information Platform on IWRM in the Amazon Basin, the preparation of the Regional Panorama of Mercury Pollution and training on gender equality.
The national coordinators shared the progress of the Amazon Basin Project in their countries, highlighting the National Workshops on the implementation of the Strategic Actions Program ( SAP) and the progress of intervention projects that seek to increase the resilience of communities and the protection of Amazonian aquatic systems in the face of climate change, as well as implementing innovative incentive-based financing mechanisms.
The last part of the meeting was dedicated to the Work Plan for 2024. For the appreciation of those present, the Project Coordinator, Maria Apostolova, presented the activities and results planned for this year. In 2024, the main objective of the regional activities, in addition to strengthening national capacities for integrated water resources management, is to advance the integration of water resources monitoring systems in the Amazon.
Thirty-six delegates from the 8 ACTO member countries attended the meeting.
