Technical Advisory Committee members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and representatives from the Sio Malaba Malakisi (SMM) transboundary basin visited the International Sava River Basin Commission (ISRBC), as well as the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) and the Environmental Law Centre of the IUCN to strengthen the understanding of institutional frameworks and cooperative mechanisms for the governance of shared waters.

The study tour provided the opportunity for IGAD Member States representatives and key stakeholder representatives from the SMM basin to review practical examples of dialogue and transboundary water cooperation for the protection and management of shared basins. Participants discussed the history, success factors and lessons learnt from cooperation processes in these two transboundary basins and reviewed the institutional building, joint water management mechanisms and the benefits of cooperation.