Review of OKACOM Agreement Nears Finalisation

OKACOM has a forward-looking vision to provide scientifically based technical support to its Member States, to support the sustainable development of the Cubango-Okavango River Basin (CORB). Under the UNDP supported and GEF financed Strategic Action Programme Implementation Project, OKACOM is currently reviewing several key governance and administrative instruments, most prominently the 1994 OKACOM Agreement which was signed on 15 September 1994 between the governments of  Angola, Botswana and Namibia in order to establish OKACOM. Currently, the Basin is facing increasing external and internal pressures such as poverty, population growth, changes in development patterns, growing infrastructure requirements and climate change. One of the key findings from a 2018 Discussion Paper of the 1994 Agreement is that it is no longer fit for purpose, necessitating revisions that reflect regional and international trends and developments in transboundary water resources management and governance. This followed the recommendations arising from the 2012 institutional functional analysis, to revise the mandate and strengthen the functionality of OKASEC.

Through the support of UNDP and funding from GEF,  OKACOM has commissioned consultants to revise the Agreement and other supporting relevant documents to reflect regional and international trends in river basin management and international water law. This review was carried out during 2021 through a strategic consultative and participatory approach which included desktop review comprising a contextual assessment of the CORB, an analysis of contemporary international water law issues and benchmarking against other River Basin Organisations. This was followed up by stakeholder engagements, both in-person and remote interviews, and focus group discussions. A draft revised Agreement was developed from these consultations, and with the next steps being for Member States to discuss, negotiate, and finalize the Agreement.
In-country consultation workshops were held in Botswana and Namibia, while a virtual session was held  for Angola to discuss the draft Revised Agreement.  A Regional Consultation Workshop was held 9-11 September, in Windhoek, Namibia,  with key stakeholders and representatives of OKACOM’s various organs gathered to revise and review the final changes and endorse the revised Agreement in 2021.   The USAID Resilient Waters Program has set aside resources to further support OKACOM for Member States to discuss, negotiate and finalise the Agreement and for this process to be finalised by early 2022.

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