Crafting vibrant policies to inform basin-wide cooperation

Summary

The documents are essential for our day-to-day operations and broader cooperation in the basin.

It is critical for Member States to craft vibrant and inclusive policies and operational procedures that promote basin-wide cooperation for present and future generations.

LIMCOM Chair, represented by Mr. Lesego Raditsebe said this on 22 October 2025 at a LIMCOM Operational Document Review workshop held at the Oflinats River Lodge in South Africa.

The LIMCOM Operational Documents Review workshop discusses two key documents, namely the LIMCOM Standard Operating Procedures for Data and Information Sharing (Data Sharing Procedures), as well as the draft Terms of Reference (ToRs) for the LIMCOM Environmental Monitoring Task Team.

The LIMCOM Standard Operating Procedures for Data and Information Sharing aims to ensure that relevant and quality assured data and information are shared in a timely and transparent manner among Member States to enable them to take informed decisions in relation to the planning, management and sustainable development of the shared water resources of the Limpopo River Basin.

The ToRs for the LIMCOM Environmental Monitoring Task Team seeks to establish a task team that will oversee and advise the Commission on environmental management issues of transboundary importance in the basin.

“These two documents are essential for our day-to-day operations and broader cooperation in the basin,” Mr. Raditsebe said, adding it is important for Member States to continue strengthening its policies since vibrant “policies are the pillars of our cooperation.”

Once the two documents are cleared up by the meeting, which is being attended by the LIMCOM Task Team, Legal Task Team and emergent Environmental Task Team members, they will be submitted to the LIMCOM Commissioners for final approval.

The LIMCOM Environmental Task Team is being formed from water quality and ecosystem specialists from water and environmental sectors, together with specialists from the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, who were core members of the 1st Limpopo Joint Basin Survey undertaken between 2024-25.

Development of the LIMCOM Standard Operating Procedures for Data and Information Sharing started last year and is supported under the project “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin.”

LIMCOM is implementing the project in partnership with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa, with support from UNDP, through funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).