The Regional Training on "How to Use the Two Global Water Conventions to advance Transboundary Cooperation of the ground" was held on 18-19 June 2019 in Dakar, Senegal. The training focused on experts active in francophone countries in Western, North and Central Africa. It was designed to strengthen the capacities of actors engaged in promoting sustainable development and transboundary water cooperation. Furthermore, the training aimed to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to promote and apply the two global Water Conventions: the 1997 Convention on the Law of Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (Watercourses Convention); and the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention).
Specific aims for this regional training were:
- to deepen knowledge and understanding of the value of the two Conventions in the region across different contexts;
- to clarify the relationship between the two Conventions, shed light on the misinterpreted elements of the Conventions, and frequently asked questions;
- to promote the sharing of experiences on the implementation of the Conventions and discuss how to promote effective, practical cooperation using them as their tools;
- to enable the participants to assess the usefulness of the technical and policy guidance developed under the Water Conventions to support their ongoing transboundary water-related activities within Africa (e.g. on monitoring and assessment, climate change adaptation, groundwater management, flood management, on the benefits of cooperation and the assessment of the water-food-energy-ecosystem nexus);
- to discuss lessons learned from recent accession processes (i.e. Chad and Senegal) and the role of partners in fostering accession of the Conventions;
The training was held in French only.
The meeting was by invitation only.