16 August 2013: The 9th World General Assembly of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) convened from 12-16 August 2013, in Fortaleza, Brazil, on the theme “for better river basin management over the world.”

INBO 2013 brought together 285 participants from 46 different countries. The Assembly included roundtables on: water management, first priority of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs); adaptation to the effects of climate change and prevention of extreme phenomena of floods and droughts; institutional frameworks for action of the Basin Organizations and participation of local authorities, water uses and the public, role of the basin committees; management of transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers; and financing of water management and of Basin Organizations. The assembly also included statutory sessions of the INBO General Assembly and concluded with the adoption of the Fortaleza Declaration and Final resolutions.

Among its recommendations, the Fortaleza Declaration stresses integrated water resources management (IWRM) is essential worldwide, the creation and strengthening of River Basin Organizations (RBOs) should be supported, adaptation to the effects of climate change should be a local and global priority, and cooperation between riparian countries sharing transboundary rivers, lakes and aquifers should be improved. In particular the Declaration emphasizes that better water governance should be a priority as water resource availability is a limiting factor for sustainable development.

A number of other resolutions and decisions were adopted by the General Assembly, including election of Lupercio Ziroldo Antonio, President, Brazilian Network of Basin Organizations (REBOB), and Technical Secretary, Latin-American Network of Basin Organizations (LANBO), as president of INBO. The 10th INBO General Assembly will be held in Mexico in 2016. [INBO 2013 Website] [INBO 2013 Final Resolutions] [Fortaleza Declaration]