MUNITY SOUTHERN M CO AF T VE N DE LOPM EN CA RI RE REGIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN IV (2016 - 2020) T U W TO AR D SA C O M MO N FU 1.5.4 EMERGING ISSUES: CLIMATE CHANGE, LOCAL AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS, INDUSTRIALISATION, NEXUS APPROACHES, GENDER MAINSTREAMING Issues related to climate change, climate variability and climate proofing need to be continuously addressed in the SADC water sector regional plans and programmes. This can be achieved through incorporating and mainstreaming local and indigenous knowledge systems (IKS), so as to reduce and mitigate the negative impacts, as well as being part of disaster risk management. The SADC Extra-Ordinary Summit of 29 April 2015 approved the SADC industrialisation strategy and roadmap and reaffirmed the importance of industrial development in poverty alleviation and the economic emancipation of the people of the region. This industrialisation policy and strategy needs supporting programmes in the RSAP IV for it to be realised. Water quality issues relate to both surface and groundwater, particularly in shared watercourses and aquifers respectively. With SADC adopting an industrialisation strategy and roadmap for accelerated industrial and economic growth for the region, care should be taken to maintain and indeed, improve the quality of the sources of water supply that will support this accelerated industrialisation growth and other uses. There is need for more focused water research conducted by SADC’s researchers and institutions, including WARFSA. The research should be demand driven resulting in patenting and commercialisation. It is important that gender issues are mainstreamed in the water sector programmes, as clearly articulated in the SADC’s Gender Protocol, Policy and Strategy as well as in the SADC Regional Water Policy statement 10.2.1 which states that “Women are recognised as playing a central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water and shall be fully involved in the development and implementation of policies, processes and activities at all levels.” These instruments require that all SADC Secretariat Directorates and Units, and all sectors in Member States integrate gender issues into their business plans as an integral part of their work. The SADC Secretariat has developed a gender mainstreaming programme which needs to be supported by the water sector. Nexus approaches are becoming the way to go if SADC is to achieve its developmental goals. Sector approaches are robbing the region of cost effective mechanisms to implement programmes. Multi-sector approaches have shown greater benefits especially in multi-purpose uses of dams as opposed to single purpose use as well as when applied in the implementation of IWRM principles and practices. There are a number of water related nexuses where water plays a catalytic role in the final developmental agenda. 5 A Vehicle to implement the Water Component of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP)