Brasilia, 10.02.2020 –The pre-launch workshop of the “Amazon Basin Project – Implementation of the Strategic Actions Program to ensure Integrated and Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources of the Amazon River Basin taking into account Climate Variability and Change” was held today, with the participation of water resources experts from the eight Amazon countries, members of ACTO.
In her opening speech, the Secretary General of the ACTO, Alexandra Moreira, said that this pre-launch of the project is the result of many years of work. “This work is not a single management, but comes practically from the origins of the Treaty and is an effort of many years, of many people,” she emphasized.
She also explained that the basin for being so important and one of the most precious ecosystems throughout the world and deserves attention and responsibility.
The UN Environment Program Manager, Isabelle Van der Beck, the director of the Brazilian National Water Agency (ANA), Ricardo Andrade, the ACTO directors, Carlos Alfredo Lazary, executive and César de las Casas, administrative, were at the opening table.
For her part, Isabelle Van der Beck said that this is a very important stage for the Amazon basin. “We now have a strategic action plan to move forward with the comprehensive management of water resources in the Amazon basin as a whole,” she concluded.
The director of the National Water Agency of Brazil, Ricardo Andrada, already explained that this week is very important for water resources. “We will be discussing the implementation project of the SAP and also the groundwater project that integrates this great project,” he concluded.
On this first day, water resources specialists from the Amazon countries had the opportunity to carry out group work sections where the work focused on on-site interventions at the national level. Tomorrow they will discuss the cross-cutting components, included in the national contributions.
This workshop, which ends on February 11, in Brasilia, Brazil, is key to defining the scope, activities, challenges, mapping of the stakeholders and the perspectives of the countries on management, for the success of the project. These issues are being worked together by the more than 30 specialists from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela who will be participating.
This cooperation agreement, recently signed by ACTO and the United Nations Environment Program (UN Environment) for the implementation of the priority strategic actions of the Strategic Action Program (SAP), has a funding with US $ 11.7 million from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and will be executed by ACTO until 2024.
The Amazon Basin project will promote Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), to improve ecological, social and economic benefits, allowing countries to meet their relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the goals of the convention in the Amazon basin.
The launch of the project is scheduled for June this year with the start of its activities defined in this workshop.
Strategic Actions Program (SAP)
The SAP is part of a regional initiative of UN Environment and executed between 2011 and 2018, by the ACTO called “Integrated and Sustainable Management of Transboundary Water Resources of the Amazon River Basin Considering Climate Variability and Change”. The project provided ACTO Member Countries with a shared vision of the Amazon Basin, improving the understanding of common problems, priorities, needs and objectives related to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).
The main result was a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and the Strategic Action Program (SAP). The SAP was duly supported by the 8 ACTO Member Countries.
Source: OTCA
