International Waters learning Exchange & Resource Network

Support to the Cubango-Okavango River Basin Strategic Action Programme Implementation - Results

GEF IDS: 842 , 5526

Ecosystem
River/Lake

Scale
Regional

Information sources
#842: UNDP Terminal Evaluation (2010)

Key Basin Project Results
-

Results data
Establishment of country-specific inter-ministerial committees
Year: N/A - Value: YES
National inter-ministerial/ inter-sectoral committees (NICs) were established in all three countries in the last reporting period. In Botswana and Namibia they have met twice and in Angola once. (#842 Okavango SAP Implementation)
Regional legal agreements and cooperation frameworks
Year: N/A - Value: TBD
"Output A1 Expertise within the riparian countries strengthened to drive the necessary intergovernmental and intragovernmental technical and policy initiatives in water resource planning and management of the ORB
Result: Significant steps taken towards this objective through the TDA process where key personnel from all sectors were given hand-on practical training" (#842, Okavango River)
Regional Management Institutions
Year: N/A - Value: YES
Body: Okavango River Basin Commission (OKACOM)
GEF Project:
"The first meeting of the restructured Botswana NISC and NCU was held on the 7th and 8th of July 2008 and on the 7th of April 2009. Decisions taken by the Botswana NCU include the modalities to conduct TDA related work in Botswana, review and comments on the proposal submitted by the University of Botswana for TDA research, and monitoring of outputs related to the TDA and the first iteration of the Botswana National Action Program.
• The Namibia NCU was re-organized as an integral unit within the Government of Namibia mandated Okavango Basin Committee. The PMU and the government jointly established the Namibia Okavango Basin Committee. Basin Committee will function and the National Inter-sectoral Committee and the Executive Board of the Okavango Basin Committee will act as the National Coordinating Unit. The Namibia National Action Program will be adopted as the Basin Management Plan.
• Namibia NCU met on the 3rd and 4th of July and the 4th of October 2008. Initiated and manages the TDA process in Namibia
• Angola NCU meets on a regular basis
• Angola NISC meeting was held. Need to expand was recognized and letters were sent. Responses were received from the line ministries.
Update: In 2010 the NISC in Angola was reconstituted and met to develop the NAP. In Namibia the OkBMC referred to above organized a successful meeting also for the NAP In Botswana the NCU functions but the NISC has not been effective NISCs have met in each of the three countries in connection with TDA and NAPs

Output A3 Policy, legal, institutional and human resource initiatives launched for the ORB and linked to national policy reviews to co-ordinate water resource management approaches across the basin
Result: Comprehensive policy and governance review was conducted for the TDA. Change and strengthening in the SAP Output A4 Monitoring and evaluation procedures for implementation of joint management
Result: Through the TDA which establishes the current baseline"
(#842, Okavango River)
National/Local reforms
Year: N/A - Value: TBD
Output A2 Basin-wide mechanisms for stakeholder participation in basin management established and tested to secure consensus and ensure replicability and taking to scale
Result: Whenever possible project consultation and management structures were established incorporating existing national or regional structures. In Botswana the existing Wetlands management committee was strengthened to act as the ISC and the NCU, in Namibia similar approach was taken with the OkBMC

A comprehensive, in-depth legal, policy and institutional review is underway
Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis: Agreement on transboundary priorities and root causes
Year: N/A - Value: YES
• LoA was signed with Namibia Nature Foundation for TDA research in Namibia
• LoA was singed with University of Botswana for TDA research in Botswana
• LoA with an Angolan NGO for Community participation
• Agreement with University of Agostinho Neto Science Faculty for research works on Environmental Flows Assessment in Angola and was formalized in a meeting held in Luanda on the 20th of February.
• All consultancies were issued for TDA work in Angola
• A joint program was developed between a national GEF project in Botswana and the Okavango Project to jointly conduct the Environmental Flows Assessment component of the TDA
• All three TDA teams conducted joint surveys of the basin
• TDA integration meetings were held on 15-16 Nov and on 30th March to 8th of April, and 7th to 12th of June 2009.
• A water resources planning model and an inundation model were configured by project and national hydrologists
• A customized Decision Support System was developed for the ORB
• Capacity building meeting was held for the Angola consultant team in Mussulo (Luanda) on 05 – 06 February
• A TDA consultation workshop was conducted in Maun Botswana to capture information for the TDA on the 24th of February with wide stakeholder participation
• A partnership was initiated with the University of Cape Town to downscale Global Climate Change models for the ORB and to develop a climate change
adaptation strategy for the Okavango TDA
• All reports for the Environmental Flows Assessment Component were finalized and inserted into the Decision Support System
• 7 TDA national TDA reports were produced
• A presentation on preliminary results and methodology was held at a High-level Conference on Strengthening Transboundary Freshwater Governance held in Bangkok Thailand
Update: The first draft of the TDA was discussed by the OBSC (TTT) in November 2009. Specific recommendations were made and consultancies were commissioned to address those needs. The second draft of the TDA was made available in January 2010. Thereafter an English editor was hired to reformat the document. At the time of reporting comments were received on the final draft and are being incorporated.
All reports finalized, drafts discussed and adopted, TDA ready for the printer (#842, Okavango River)
Development of Strategic Action Program (SAP)
Year: N/A - Value: TBD
• NAP development meetings were held in Namibia and Botswana on the 4th and 8th of July 2008 respectively.
􀀀 NAP meeting in Angola was held in the first week of August 2008.
􀀀 NAP drafts were developed
􀀀 Second round of meetings in Botswana and Namibia were held in November 08
􀀀 First SAP discussion to develop long list was held November 19-21, 2008.
􀀀 A SAP technical Advisor was identified and contracted
􀀀 NAPs remain approximately 40% completed and the SAP 20% completed27.
Update: A series of meetings were held in all three countries in Feb 2010 to identify national priorities for the SAP
A draft SAP framework was presented to the TPR in March 2010. The SAP was further elaborated by the OBSC at meeting in May 2010 A revised draft SAP was presented to the countries for comments in on the 25th of May
Comments were received and a final SAP is being formulated by the project with the support of two consultants. Three national consultancies have been launched to develop the National Action Program.
The SAP consultants will finalize the SAP, support the PMU in coordinating a regional (OKACOM) meeting to confirm objectives and commitment Three national meetings are also envisaged to confirm national ownership of SAPs (#842, Okavango River)