RSAP I was reviewed in 2004 to provide recommendations for the formulation of RSAP II (2005
to 2010);
2. The major change between RSAP I and RSAP II was the emphasis put on infrastructure
development. Under RSAP II, the SADC Water projects were arranged under four clusters, water
resources development, water governance, capacity building and infrastructure support. RSAP II
was reviewed in late 2009 to assess the progress made with the implementation of the plan. This
review resulted in the current RSAP III (2011 to 2015); and
3. The goal of RSAP III is to strengthen the enabling environment for regional water resources
governance, management and development through the application of integrated water
resources management at the regional, river basin, Member State and community levels. RSAP
III rests on three pillars: water governance, infrastructure development and water management.
The three pillars are founded on an IWRM base. The RSAP III is the current official SADC
programme for the Water Sector and is therefore the de facto implementation plan for the
Water Sector part of the RIDMP.
2.2.2.9
The SADC Guidelines for Strengthening River Basin Organisations
Published in 2010, the SADC Guidelines for Strengthening River Basin Organisations cover four areas:
1. Establishment and development: To propose the procedures that could assist Member States to
establish appropriate management institutions for shared watercourses;
2. Environmental management: To establish a set of procedures that can assist RBOs with the
implementation of environmental management;
3. Funding and financing: To establish a set of procedures that can assist RBOs to become
financially sustainable; and
4. Stakeholder participation: To establish a set of procedures that can assist RBOs with the
implementation of participatory approaches.
Figure 2.5 gives a pictorial view of the major river basins of the SADC region.
2.2.2.10
Climate Change Adaptation in SADC: a Strategy for the Water Sector
Published in November 2011, the SADC Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the Water Sector
was launched during the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which was held in Durban, South Africa in November
2011.
The overall goal of the Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) Strategy is to improve climate resilience in
Southern Africa through integrated and adapted water resources management at regional, river
basin and local levels. The Strategy focuses on the implementation of both no‐regret and low‐regret
measures. The former relate to measures that will prove worthwhile doing, even if no (further)
climate changes occur, and the latter to measures that will only require small additional
expenditures to cater for the negative effects of climate change.
The Strategy presents measures to be taken over the next 20 years. It is recommended that work on
adaptation should be started immediately, as this would benefit the sectors under present climatic
conditions. The Strategy calls for the implementation of adaptation measures at different levels, at
different stages of the adaptation process and in different areas of interventions. The Strategy is
embodied in the SADC Water Adaptation Cube, which was designed to raise awareness and facilitate
coordination among stakeholders. Climate Change Adaptation is a building block of climate
resilience in Southern Africa (SADC 2011).
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