Awareness and Communication Strategy A series of brainstorming sessions were carried out and these meetings involved Member States and selected stakeholders. The sessions also included a facilitated discussion on unpacking the IWRM approach to communicate the approach to non-water sectors. Side consultations were held during some key meetings such as the SADC Multi-stakeholder Dialogue, the 2007 WARFSA/WATERNET Regional Water Symposium, and the Okavango Delta Management Plan Launch. The broad Regional Consultative Workshop involving all stakeholders was held in March 2008 to review and give input to the draft. The Awareness Creation Component of the SADC/DANIDA Regional Water Sector Programme has been piloting some communication activities. Experiences from the activities informed the development of this strategy in terms of what works or not. The pilot activities include field visits, dialogues, commissioning of feature articles for the media, Media Awards, presentation of IWRM in non water sector and distribution mechanism of stories in the media. Some of these activities have been included in this Strategy and in the Implementation Toolkit and others were found to be based on wrong assumption and hence not taken further. SADC Water Division facilitated the approval process of the Strategy and the final document was adopted by the SADC Integrated Committee of Ministers in June 2008. 1.5 The Purpose of the Awareness and Communication Strategy The Strategy provides the SADC Water Division with a road-map that enables SADC to close the information gap at international, regional and Member State levels. Chapter 11 provides a detailed outline on how the SADC Water Division will create an enabling environment for achieving the purpose of this Strategy. Chapter 12 outlines how this strategy and the accompanying Implementation Toolkit will be accessed and used. It also provides an outline of the monitoring and evaluation framework for the Strategy. Given the mandate and role of the SADC Water Division, it is expected that some of the regional activities would be carried out in close collaboration with River Basin Organizations and selected regional NGOs, where possible, with Member States and cooperating partners providing some technical and financial support. Communication within national target audiences is the responsibility of Member States who should be encouraged to undertake the necessary measures. The Implementation Toolkit therefore provides guidance on how Member States and communications specialists could address the communications issues herein through national level communication strategies and plans. It also provides guidance on how, on the basis of this regional framework and relevant national instruments, Member States could develop national communication strategies and action plans. It should be noted that in doing the above, this Strategy enables the region to contribute to the SADC Communication Programme of Action presented in the SADC Communications and Promotional Strategy. In line with this purpose, the Awareness and Communication Strategy has three main target audiences namely the SADC Water Division, Member States and regional organizations working in the Water Sector (such as RBOs and regional NGOs). It is also intended for the SADC funding agencies. 1.6 The Goal and Strategic Objectives In view of the current communication challenges in the sector, this Strategy seeks to ensure that the SADC citizens are fully informed of the SADC Water Sector, regional water issues Page 6