LIMCOM Legal and Technical Tasks Team meet ahead of the Minister’s Meeting

Summary

The LIMCOM Technical Tasks Team and Legal Team met 12 March 2024 in Musina, South Africa to clear the agenda for the LIMCOM Commissioner’s Meeting, which will convene today, Tuesday 13 March 2024, and ultimately for the LIMCOM Minister’s Meeting set for 14 March 2024.

The LIMCOM Technical Tasks Team and Legal Team met 12 March 2024 in Musina, South Africa to clear the agenda for the LIMCOM Commissioner’s Meeting, which will convene today, Tuesday 13 March 2024, and ultimately for the LIMCOM Minister’s Meeting set for 14 March 2024.

At the LIMCOM Ministerial Meeting, Ministers responsible for Water Affairs from the Republics of Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe are expected to endorse plans to sign the Amendment to the LIMCOM Agreement, which will formalize the establishment of the Council of Ministers as LIMCOM’s main policy and decision-making body.

The formalization of the Council of Ministers as the main policy body will improve the governance structure of LIMCOM and its Secretariat, and foster closer cooperation for judicious, sustainable and coordinated management, protection and utilization of shared watercourses in line with the 2000 Revised SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourses.

Speaking at the official opening of the meeting, Mr Tendayi Ndawana who was representing Zimbabwe as Chair of LIMCOM said the meeting is a milestone in the history of the Limpopo River Basin. He urged Member States to seize the opportunity and contribute towards the development of the Limpopo River Basin.

Mr Ndawana said the meeting signifies that a strong bond exists among the four countries that share the Limpopo – Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Ms Martha Komape from South Africa, the host nation for the meeting concurred, adding that the meeting of the Legal and Technical Tasks Teams will change the face of LIMCOM as it would lay the ground for Ministers to endorse plans to review the governance structure of LIMCOM.

At the meeting, the Ministers will also officially launch the current flagship project for LIMCOM titled “Integrated Transboundary River Basin Management for the Sustainable Development of the Limpopo River Basin (UNDP-GEF Limpopo project).”

The project which is being implemented in partnership with the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA), with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), through the Global Environment Facility International Waters program (GEF-IW), aims to uplift the living standards of the basin’s population and conserve the basin’s resources and ecosystem services, through several interventions to be executed at the community level.