Awareness and Communication Strategy 6.2.4 Benefits Sharing Communicate that transboundary water resources utilisation should be based on collective benefits sharing with the promotion of payments for ecosystem services, and the incorporation of virtual water trading principles. To who: Departments responsible for water affairs in each riparian state, River Basin Organizations (RBOs), especially watercourse commissions, and river basin stakeholders. How: Workshops and dialogues, publications i.e. leaflets and brochures, education especially short term training, presentations in non-water sectors, field visits, Internet and e-mail, mass media and extension services. The challenge in consensus building, particularly in reaching what can be viewed as an equitable share of water resources and accrued benefits of shared watercourses, is often exacerbated by the difference in the understanding of the distribution and occurrence of the shared water resources and how they can be shared among the stakeholders. The messages should, therefore, dwell on providing examples of equitable and reasonable utilisation of shared water resources. New innovative ideas are coming up on sharing benefits of water and related resources management. These include payment for ecosystems services where the cost of catchment conservation activities can be paid for by water users down downstream if such activities prove to conserve water for downstream users. The other idea is the virtual water trading in cases where water used in one country on products and services can be traded for the same but produced in another country. The cross border investments and movement of goods and services such as electricity, fish, etc should also be investigated and communicated as means of sharing benefits. 6.2.5 Cooperation in Joint Water Resource Assessment and Development Communicate that joint water resources assessments should form the basis for transboundary agreements in order to build trust and achieve a common understanding. To who: Departments of Water Affairs, River Basin Organizations (RBOs) and major water user stakeholders. How: Internet and e-mail, mass media, public event such as workshops; and publications such as newsletters and leaflets. The message should emphasise the joint water resources assessments that promote common understanding among stakeholders of a shared water resource and therefore facilitate trust and confidence building. The process and results of such assessments and its existing utilisation and future potential should be communicated to all stakeholders and be the basis for the resultant agreements. In keeping with the equity principle, co-operation and coordination are fundamental to reasonable and equitable utilisation of transboundary water resources in shared watercourses. Effective cooperation is sustained by implementing the Revised Protocol on Shared Watercourses and ensuing basin agreements with required transparency and trust among riparian states. Page 30