1.5.5 CONTINENTAL AND INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS AND AGREEMENTS The SADC Member States are signatories to a number of continental and international Conventions and Agreements and also subscribe and commit to several agreed positions with regards to the provision of water and sanitation services. Examples of such include: 1. The African Ministers Committee on Water (AMCOW) has come up with a policy and strategy for the involvement of youth in water and sanitation interventions, which the SADC region has to incorporate in its programmes and plans. 2. The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a new, universal set of goals, with targets and indicators that UN Member States will be expected to use to frame and guide their agendas and policies over the next 15 years. Goal 6 relates directly to the water sector and seeks to “ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” 3. The 19 UN Groundwater Articles contained in the Law of Transboundary Aquifers were adopted through a resolution of the 63rd Session of the UN General Assembly on 11 December 2008. The resolution encourages the States concerned ‘to make appropriate bilateral or regional arrangements for the proper management of their transboundary aquifers, taking into account the provisions of the Articles.’ 4. The human right to water entitles everyone to sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically accessible and affordable water for personal and domestic uses. The human right to water places the main responsibilities upon governments to ensure that people can enjoy “sufficient, safe, accessible and affordable water, without discrimination” (UN, 2010). RE AR D T U W TO REGIONAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN IV (2016 - 2020) MUNITY SOUTHERN M CO AF T VE N DE LOPM EN CA RI SA C O M MO N FU While most SADC Member States have at least ratified one human rights convention which explicitly or implicitly recognizes this right, the interpretation of this right varies amongst and within the SADC Member States. There is therefore need to come up with some common understanding of this very important human right to water to enable governments and their citizens to fully appreciate their obligations and rights. 1.5.6 WATER RESOURCES INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT IN SADC In 2012, the SADC Member States adopted the SADC Regional Infrastructure Development Master Plan (RIDMP) comprising of six sectors: water, energy, transport, tourism, meteorology and telecommunication. The primary objective of the RIDMP is to define the minimum but ultimate regional infrastructure development requirements and conditions to facilitate the implementation and realization of water-related infrastructure development projects by year 2027. The water resources infrastructure development imperative is thus guided by the contents of the Water Chapter of the RIDMP. 1.5.7 CONTRIBUTION OF WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT TO THE ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SADC VISION It is usually difficult to directly link sustainable water resources development and management to the wellbeing of human beneficiaries and national economic growths. However, investments in the development, management and delivery of sustainable water supply systems have profound catalytic developmental impacts to other sectors such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing, health, education and industry. It is in light of this that the programmes of the RSAP IV have been conceived and formulated. A Vehicle to implement the Water Component of the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) 6