By Jonathan Mbiriyamveka
UN Resident and Humanitarian Ambassador Mr Edward Kallon has reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to support Zimbabwe in sustainable management of water resources and active engagement in regional and transboundary initiatives that promote sustainable development.
Speaking at a workshop on Accession Process to the UN Global Water Convention, Mr Kallon said UN fully supports Zimbabwe’s plans to accede to both of the UN global water conventions.
“By acceding to the Water Convention, Zimbabwe gains new prospects for enhanced transboundary cooperation, transboundary water conflict prevention and regional stability.
“As the United Nations, we are working to support countries achieve integrated, climate-resilient, sustainable, and equitable management of water and ocean resources, and universal access to safe water supply and sanitation,” Mr Kallon said.
For example, he said, UNESCO has ongoing projects and programmes in all the transboundary watercourses. These include:
o The Zambezi River with the Victoria Falls/Mosi oa Tunya World Heritage Site;
o The Global Environment Fund supported project for Mid-to Lower Zambezi project and the Middle Zambezi Biosphere Reserve initiative;
o The Busi, Save, Pungwe or BuPuSa Community Resilience project and;
o The GEF funded Limpopo Basin Transboundary River Basin Management project.
“All these projects and programmes benefit from UN interagency cooperation as well as partnership with SADC.
“At the country level, FAO and UNESCO are working together on a programme that is to helping communities living in Binga and Buhera to adapt to erratic rainfall due to climate change and helping them with sustainable groundwater management practices to improve crop production,” Mr Kallon said.
“Together with other partners and through the United Nations system, we are committed to supporting collaborative arrangements that improve transboundary management of natural resources through enhanced resource governance and harmonized policies and frameworks.”
The 1992 Water Convention and the 1997 Watercourses Convention together provide the global platforms for transboundary cooperation to support Zimbabwe in its shared water management.
Zimbabwe shares a total of five watercourses and one international lake with neighboring countries.
These are namely: Buzi, Limpopo, Pungwe, Save and Zambezi watercourses and Kariba dam.
“Consequently for Zimbabwe to achieve SDG 6.5 and to contribute to ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all, transboundary water cooperation is not a maybe but a MUST for Zimbabwe and its neighboring riparian states,” he said.
He applauded the Government’s commitment and long record of transboundary water cooperation for the sustainable management of its shared freshwater resources.
“As illustrated by the result of the reporting exercise measuring progress to achieve SDG indicator 6.5.2 on transboundary cooperation, the percentage of Zimbabwe’s shared waters covered by an agreement and institutional arrangement was 69.90% in the 2020 report. Notably, this has significantly improved to 90.4% in the latest report submitted in 2023.
“However, as all countries should seek to have 100% of their shared waters covered by an agreement and institutional arrangement, transboundary cooperation requires continuous efforts in supporting sustainable management and development of shared basins’ water resources to meet natural and man-made threats,” he said.
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