| Cross-border projects
● Safeguard and restore the ecosystems and services they provide.
● Promote sustainable development across the Drin Basin.
The DCG also became the steering committee of the
project; considered to be a key contributing factor to its success. It allowed the countries to have full control of project implementation, increased trust and led to increased capacities for transboundary cooperation. A culture of cooperation was cultivated and as a result the DCG became the forum to discuss and seek solutions for transboundary problems in sub-basins.
Decentralised Project Management Unit A Decentralised Project Management Unit (PMU)
was set up with a dedicated project officer for each country. The officers had daily contacts with local stakeholders, listened to their problems and worked together to identify feasible solutions. This was key in swiftly addressing unexpected changes in the project’s environment, such as political events, economic crises and the Covid-19 pandemic. The officers supported the DCG in its work and implemented the GEF Drin Project’s activities on the ground.
Effective communication and
engagement At the very start of the project, a detailed stakeholder analysis was undertaken, providing the basis for a strategic communication and engagement plan that analysed which stakeholders were to be informed, with what tools and at which point in time. Throughout project implementation stakeholders participated in all consultations, provided input and were informed about all on-going and planned activities. The result was that stakeholders’ had a strong sense of ownership of the project and its outcomes; this was a crucial element that brought agreement on the Drin Strategic Action Programme. The project managed to raise awareness on critical water resources problems in the region as well as to raise capacities in terms of addressing these problems.
Simple and achievable project design Design simplicity is an essential prerequisite for the
successful implementation of such a project. The project was designed in line with the content of the Drin MoU with an aim to enable its implementation.
While designed to address transboundary issues, the outcomes and outputs were aligned with national priorities. This kept the interest even of stakeholders that were reluctant at the beginning of project implementation towards transboundary cooperation. By doing this, the likelihood of achieving replication effects increased.
Pilot demonstration As part of the GEF Drin Project, a number of pilot
demonstration activities, designed to address transboundary issues, were implemented. These allowed stakeholders to have first-hand experience of technologies, practices and organisational settings novel to the region, allowing them to test their cost effectiveness and feasibility in the regional context, and ultimately feed into the Strategic Action Programme formulation process. These activities, achieving tangible results, raised the interest of stakeholders who were actively engaged in their implementation, and presented clear benefits that in turn ensured increasing engagement by the political leadership. ●
Above: Aerial view of the Buna River after the confluence with the Drin River in Albania
References
www.gwp.org/en/GWP- Mediterranean/WE-ACT/ News-List-Page/2021/5- key-lessons-for-successful- transboundary-cooperation-from- the-drin-river-basin/
http://drincorda.iwlearn.org/
Cameroon commits to water cooperation Cameroon has become the sixth African country committing to transboundary water cooperation by joining the Helsinki Water Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. The 1992 Helsinki Water Convention is an international legal instrument and intergovernmental platform which aims to ensure the sustainable use of transboundary water resources by facilitating cooperation between countries. By committing to the convention, Cameroon opts for the better management of its shared water resources through increased cooperation between states in the Lake Chad, Niger, and Congo River basins, as well as coastal rivers, in order to promote sustainable development and peace. Cameroon will also help to conserve and restore ecosystems degraded by
droughts and floods, particularly where climate change is affecting northern parts of the country. The country’s government will also better secure water facilities dedicated to both irrigation and electricity generation and can now benefit fully from the convention’s trust fund to boost its efforts towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation for all). The Global Water Partnership -Central Africa supported the government of Cameroon throughout this process.
www.gwp.org/en/GWP-Central-Africa/WE-ACT/news/cameroon-all-in-for- transboundary-water-cooperation/
www.waterpowermagazine.com | March 2022 | 15
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