GEF International Waters Conference

Conference participants competed in a ‘Jeopardy!’ style game to highlight environmental threats and promote cooperation among GEF International Waters projects.

The Fourth Biennial Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Waters Conference was held in Cape Town, South Africa from 31 July to 3 August. Over 300 participants from 68 countries met to share experiences and innovative practices, promote learning, develop strategies to enhance stakeholder collaboration and encourage GEF International Waters projects to apply evolving GEF policies and procedures during implementation.

GEF investments form the single largest united response to water-related environmental threats, and serve as a catalyst, providing financing as an incentive for cooperation among nations sharing water resource systems.

The conference highlighted the major GEF milestones from around the world, including the UNDP/GEF Danube Regional Project. After 15 years of GEF support, the ICPDR has made the transition to a self-sustaining basin organisation supported by all member countries and stakeholders (see box). “The conference was an important event for us because the Danube has been the most supported project from the GEF over the years”, says Philip Weller, Executive Secretary of the ICPDR, “and it was an opportunity for us to express appreciation for the support for the Danube from the GEF.”

MY VISION FOR INTERNATIONAL WATERS

Fritz Holzwarth, Deputy-Director General, German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature, Conservation and Nuclear Safety and Head of German Delegation to the ICPDR

The GEF Danube Regional Project made a difference in the Danube Basin – it changed habits, induced investments, raised public awareness and encouraged a new culture of dialogue and cooperation. The diverse social, economic and ecologic development was not an obstacle; we met on the same level and took each other seriously.

The Danube Regional Project encouraged people in the basin to share knowledge with neighbouring countries and to make use of their own competencies and capabilities. The basic support for the whole process came from a clear political commitment among ministers to cooperate throughout the whole basin. We would like to share the lessons we have learned. I think the Danube can further be a GEF Flagship. The Danube countries are ready to disseminate the findings, to make sure that they can be replicated. The ICPDR is ready to act.

The International Waters (IW) Portfolio has a lot to contribute, can provide a lot of success stories. All people involved in IW projects can be proud of the achievements. IW projects made a difference in the regions for the benefits of the people living there. On top of that, without such cooperation all our efforts to achieve the water-related Millennium Development Goals, Integrated Water Resource Management plans, safe drinking water and sanitation will fail.

The water mission has not yet been accomplished; there is a lot to be done all over the world. Without IW we would have missed a lot in a ‘water driven‘ world. The IW Portfolio generated and continues to generate a crystal clear message: Water is not a source of conflict. It is a catalyst for cooperation and a source to share benefits.

Kirstie Shepherd is a freelance journalist living in Vienna and has
called the Danube River Basin home since 2000.

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