Lake Victoria and its surroundings produce much of the goods and services that the East Africa Community relies on for their livelihoods. However, the Lake experiences intense pressure from human activities, including the unsustainable exploitation of fish and other life supporting resources, pollution from industrial, agriculture and human waste, and land degradation. Early attempts to create an institutional structure to address these problems failed to harmonise natural resource use, investment and development policies. This contributed to conflicts in use of the Lake's resources, duplication of efforts and lack of coordination for development efforts on this trans-boundary resource.
A bill before the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) to establish a new structure, the Lake Victoria Basin Commission (LVBC), was intended to rectify this. The proposed structure was identified by civil society organisations to be compromised in a number of ways including: by a lack of representation by sectors previously identified in the 2003 Protocol for Sustainable Development in the Lake Victoria Basin; in the definition of the make-up of governing structures.
A network partnership of civil society organisations, The East African Sustainability Watch, representing organisations from the three countries that border Lake Victoria used its collective authority and provided a coordinated response, submitting amendments to the bill to the EALA.
As a result of this organised lobbying, the second reading of the bill included many of the suggested amendments. These included significant changes to LVBC governance in the form of an improved Governing Board, and significantly, an Advisory Consultative Committee comprised of representatives from business associations, corporations, organized groups and civic organizations with an interest in the Lake Victoria basin. The Committee will also be a conduit to channel concerns, complaints and suggestions from groups and individuals on matters relating to the management of Lake Victoria.
Theme Linkages
Good governance
The economy within the Lake Victoria Basin will operate in an ethical, accountable and appropriately regulated environment, a channel exists for local and individual voices to influence shared resource management.
Sustainable Land Use
Better integration of interests and policies affecting sustainable land and resource use
Improved health and wellbeing
Improved household food security through promotion of sustainable agricultural and land use practices including irrigation; improvement in public health with specific reference to sanitation and waste management.
Contribution to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
Target 7a: Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss of environmental resources
Target 8a: Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system
Contact Uganda Coalition for Sustainable Development for more information
The East African Legislative Assembly held its session in February 2011 in Nairobi and among others discussed the 2007 Bill on Lake Victoria Basin Commission
ReplyDeleteDuring this session, the Council of Ministers withdrew the 2007 Bill on Lake Victoria Basin Commission three years after EALA Committee on Environment proposed structural amendments to the Bill, which proposed to remove Sectoral Council from direct management of the Commission.
The Council argue that LVBC like many other shared water body basin authorities in the world (e.g. Nile Basin) is an intergovernmental entity and should remain so as per Protocol.
But EALA thinks otherwise (based on the fact that the principles that EAC is a people-centred and private sector driven), and amendments would have brought the private and civil society sectors on board in the administrative helm of the Commission.
Despite this drawback, the East African SusWatch network is still optimistic that with the alliance we have in EALA a fair and equitable law on Lake Victoria should be delivered
Kimbowa Richard
East African Sustainability Watch Network
As part of the LVEMPII Civil Society Watch Project (2011 - 2014), EA SusWatch Network and Lake Victoria basin communities call for a Client Service Charter for the Lake Victoria Environment Management Project Phase II (LVEMPII) based on its ongoing experiences.
ReplyDeleteEA SusWatch Network proposes that LVEMPII adopts a specific Client Service Charter that is justified on the account described in this short document. http://bit.ly/15fvLr4.
EALA debate on the 2007 Bill on Lake Victoria Basin Commission is expected 2013 / 2014 financial year after the bill went in 'limbo'
ReplyDeleteFollow the EA SusWatch Network's LVEMPII CS Watch and other advocacy activities from: www.easuswatch.org | www.ugandacoalition.or.ug
ReplyDeleteKampeni ya usalama kwa usafiri Ziwa Viktoria: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/kampeni-ya-usalama-kwa-usafiri-ziwa-viktoria.html
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteLast week, I attended a workshop in Kisumu where a former Deputy Executive Secretary informed me that the failure of the LV Commission Bill ( a private member's bill) to pass was due to its business-like model. This was not in tandem with the EAC treaty provisions
ReplyDelete