22 February 2013: The Governments of Burundi and Rwanda are collaborating on integrated water resources management (IWRM) as part of the Water, Climate and Development Programme (WACDEP), a Global Water Partnership (GWP) project. WACDEP aims to increase climate resilience and water security in the Kagera water basin catchment, which is part of the Rwanda-Burundi Cyohoha transboundary catchment area.

WACDEP held a series of workshops to raise citizen awareness on: how the catchment area provides protection from natural hazards, including droughts and floods; and how human practices can damage lake resources and deplete fisheries. The workshops, which were held between August and December 2012, also aimed to change local perceptions of Lake Cyohoha as a state-owned resource by promoting local ownership and access to information.

The WACDEP workshops also facilitated joint cooperation between the two Governments and their development partners. Mid-level decision makers, local governance institutions, fisheries and water users’ cooperatives participated in the workshops, which included a one-day meeting with Burundi and Rwanda local government actors and a situation analysis validation workshop.

WACDEP’s three objectives are to: integrate climate resilience and water security in development planning; develop capacities and partnerships to build climate resilience through better water management; and develop financing and investment strategies for climate change adaptation and water security.

The WACDEP programme is an initiative of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) and involves the major African organizations with competencies in water. The programme is operationalized by GWP and funded by GWP’s core donors and by Austria in particular. [GWP Press Release] [WACDEP Website]