March 2012: The Global Environment Facility (GEF) has published a booklet highlighting its operations related to the management of transboundary freshwater basins and aquifers, titled “Contributing to Global Security: GEF Action on Water, Environment and Sustainable Livelihoods.”

The booklet, available in English, Spanish and French, chronicles 20 years of work in the International Waters initiative as a set of case studies to show how water resources can best be protected and used efficiently. It provides examples of GEF’s contribution to global security through the support for innovative approaches that enable countries to cooperate across different sectors and national borders to balance the competing uses of water resources. The booklet presents case studies on the topics of pollution control in watercourses, sustainable use of water resources for food security, shared water resources, and energy security through improved water management.

The first case studies are on water quality improvement in the Danube River Basin, Lake Victoria Basin, Orange-Senqu River Basin, and Senegal River Basin. These programmes achieved overall success by gathering funds to improve agricultural practices, wastewater treatment, wetland management, and regional management mechanisms. The second set of case studies is on the sustainable use of water resources for the purpose of food security. This includes irrigation projects in the Hai River Basin, fishery management in Lake Victoria, and improving water quality in Lake Manzala. The third set of case studies relates to ensuring future cooperation of shared groundwater resources through mediating legal agreements between countries. The report looks at the Guaraní Aquifer Agreement, the North West Sahara Aquifer System, and the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System, as successful examples of international agreements put in place to coordinate sustainable management of transboundary aquifers. The fourth set of case studies are on the sustainable use of energy and food supplies by increasing micro-hydro power capacity, using biomass more efficiently, minimizing flood impacts, and creating more efficient sanitation systems.

The GEF booklet concludes with a discussion of initiatives in improving public health through bettering wastewater management systems and building ecological sanitation toilets, among other initiatives. [Publication: Contributing to Global Security: GEF Action on Water, Environment and Sustainable Livelihoods]