Awareness and Communication Strategy 1.2.2 SADC Information and Communication Sector Policies and Programmes SADC desires to improve the availability of information to the peoples of the region as expressed through the adoption of the Protocol on Culture, Information and Sports in 2001. This Protocol recognises that information is a prerequisite for political, economic, social and cultural development and, therefore, the need to co-operate in removing barriers for its (information’s) dissemination. In order to implement the Protocol on Culture, Information and Sports and advance the cause of its agenda, SADC developed the Communications and Promotional Strategy. This overall communications strategy, once implemented, would create an environment that ensures increased access to SADC information by all its Member States and its cooperating partners. Its detailed objectives are highlighted in the Implementation Toolkit of this Strategy. This Awareness and Communication Strategy fulfils the call for establishing sector specific (Water Sector) strategies and crafting, packaging and dissemination of messages and themes which should be based on but not limited to SADC’s priority intervention areas. It would basically expand the SADC Communication Programme of Action presented in the SADC Communications and Promotional Strategy by outlining a communication agenda for the SADC Water Division and the Water Sector as a whole. 1.3 SADC Water Sector Communication Challenges and Opportunities 1.3.1 Understanding the SADC Institutions The communication challenges for the SADC Water Sector are rooted in the broader SADC communication challenges as identified in the SADC Communications and Promotional Strategy. These challenges include ensuring that SADC, its regional instruments and interventions do not remain the “best kept secret” to the citizens in the region. There is inadequate awareness of the existing SADC structures and visible lack of institutional understanding on roles, responsibilities, relationships and procedures amongst the public and within SADC institutions (SADC Secretariat, with Member States Departments of Water, and shared watercourse institutions). 1.3.2 Understanding Regional Water Issues The SADC region has a wealth of information on water, but this information is not reaching the required targets due to the absence of a clear communication framework in SADC Water Sector. Different organisations simply do what they feel is best for awareness, thereby risking duplicated, ineffective and uncoordinated efforts in the Sector. Water resources information acquisition and management in the SADC region continues to be constrained by incompatible data and information management systems between riparian states, poor communication infrastructure for information transmission and dissemination, as well as language and format differences. This has affected the transfer of data, information, research, knowledge and best practices to appropriate institutions and audiences. SADC Secretariat, Shared Watercourse Institutions and Member States have difficulties in creating public awareness of water issues and ensuring that the public in the region have Page 4