The Steering Committee (CDP) of the Project Implementation of the Program of Strategic Actions to ensure the Integrated and Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources in the Amazon River Basin considering Climate Variability and Change Project (Amazon Basin) held its first meeting as the main authority of this regional initiative.
The virtual event was held on September 22nd, and was attended by the National Focal Points of the Project of the 8 Member Countries of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), by the representatives of the Permanent Secretariat of the ACTO and by the Implementing Agency of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
This meeting establishes the main authority of the Project, recognizes the results and recommendations of the Start-up Phase and approves the project planning and budget for the first year of implementation.
It should be noted that the CDP will be responsible for monitoring the progress of Project implementation and providing strategic guidelines, including the review and approval of the Project’s annual work plan and implementation reports, among other matters.
The event also allowed to increase the understanding of the background, objectives, approach and implementation structure of the Project. In this regard, the ACTO Permanent Secretariat made a presentation on the regional context of cooperation in water management. For their part, the 8 countries shared presentations on their institutional frameworks for managing water resources in their respective Amazonian territories.
At the conclusion of the event, ACTO Secretary General Alexandra Moreira expressed the expectation of strengthening water governance for better management of the Amazon Region, increasing water security and climate resilience of the Amazon population.
The Amazon Basin Project (short name) is an initiative of the Member Countries of the ACTO, implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and executed by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (ACTO), with a duration of four years and financing of US$ 11.7 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and a national co-financing of more than US$ 140 million.
The overall objective of this Project is to support the countries of the basin in the implementation of the Strategic Actions Program (SAP), promoting the Integrated Management of Water Resources (IWRM) in a continuous flow from source to sea, providing ecological, social and economic benefits, and allowing Amazonian countries to meet their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of environmental conventions.
