With the participation of the Focal Points of the 8 ACTO Member Countries that are part of the Project for the Implementation of the Strategic Action Program to ensure the Integrated and Sustainable Management of the Transboundary Water Resources of the Amazon River Basin considering Climate Variability and Change (Amazon Basin Project) and with the representatives of the Implementing Agency UNEP and the Executing Agency SP/OTCA, the 2nd Project Steering Committee (PSC) will be held on March 1, 2023 at the headquarters of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO) in Brasilia.
The main objectives of this important meeting are to review the progress of the Amazon Basin Project, for which the 2022 Project Annual Activity Report will be presented, and to approve the Annual Work Plan and the Budget for the year 2023.
Likewise, the Steering Committee’s recommendations for implementing the Strategic Action Program (SAP) in the Amazon Region within the framework of ACTO on water issues will be presented.
The Amazon Basin Project is a four-year initiative of the ACTO Member Countries implemented by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and executed by ACTO, with a duration of four years and financing of US$11.7 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and national co-financing of over US$140 million.
This regional project supports the countries of the basin in implementing the priority measures contained in the Strategic Actions Program (SAP), aimed at strengthening Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) with a focus on continuous flow from source to sea, while also seeking to strengthen the capacity of Amazonian communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change and ensure compatible information for decision making in the basin.
The Project will provide ecological, social and economic benefits, contributing to the Amazonian countries meeting their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of the environmental conventions.
Thanks to the results of the Start-up Phase and the First Meeting of the Project Steering Committee, held in 2021, the National Project Coordination Units (NCUs), which in turn are articulated with the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU), formed inter-institutional coordination structures at the national levels for the implementation of activities related to the Project, promoting national and subnational cooperation and the visibility of the initiative.
At the same time, progress has been made in planning and initiating national Project activities and interventions. Exchanges of experiences have also been promoted among the eight National Project Coordination Units (NCUs) on the implementation of the Project, through technical meetings of the National Coordinators and National Assistants.
Similarly, coordination and synergies with complementary regional initiatives have been promoted, as well as the visibility of the Project in regional and global events.
