Agreement On The Preparation Of A Tripartite Environmental Management Programme For Lake Victoria

Filename: 1994-PreparationTripartiteEnvironmentalManagementProgrammeLakeVictoria.EN.txt

AGREEMENT ON THE PREPARATION OF A TRIPARTITE ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME FOR LAKE VICTORIA

Source: http://www.ecolex.org/en/treaties/treaties_fulltext.php?docnr=3121&langu...

The Contracting Parties

The Governments of the Republic of Kenya, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Uganda, referred to below as the Parties;

Recognizing the efforts made by the three States to strengthen regional co-operation in the spirit of the Agreement for the Establishment of a Permanent Tripartite Commission for the Co- operation among them signed in Arusha on 30th November 1993;

Aware of the environmental importance of Lake Victoria and its significance to the sustainable development of the three riparian countries;

Concerned that the present level of exploitation of the fisheries resources of Lake Victoria may be close to the limits of the sustainable yield of the lake fishery;

Further concerned that increased agricultural and urban run- off, discharge of domestic and industrial waste into Lake Victoria adversely affects the ecological system of the Lake;

Recognizing that the conversion of wetland areas around Lake Victoria for agricultural and/or other uses may have a detrimental effect on the lake ecosystem;

Noting that significant changes have occurred as regards fish stocks within Lake Victoria with some of the indigenous species facing depletion;

Agreeing that regional co-operation is an essential component of the environmental management of the Lake, and being in the process of establishing the Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization to jointly manage the fishery resources of the Lake;

Recognizing that poverty is both a cause and a consequence of environmental degradation and must therefore be addressed adequately in order to enhance equitable and sustainable development among riparian communities;

Desirous to maximize the benefits accruing to the riparian countries from integrated and sustainable utilization of Lake Victoria resources and the conservation of a global natural heritage;

Recognizing that integrated management of the various resources which constitute the lake environment, is essential;

Accepting that the environmental management of Lake Victoria will require a sustained long-term effort based on a comprehensive programme addressing the various problems; and to this end requires national capacity building by using and strengthening existing institutions to conduct on a sustainable basis ongoing and additional functions under a regional programme.

Have agreed as follows

Article 1

Components and tasks

1. The Parties agree to initiate and implement a five-year programme to strengthen regional co-ordination in the management of Lake Victoria resources, including fisheries, water, and other resources as set out in Attachment 1 [not reproduced].

2. The preparation of the programme shall follow the action plan as presented in Attachment 5 [not reproduced].

Article 2

Organizational arrangements

1. The Parties shall establish a Regional Policy and Steering Committee, to be assisted by a Regional Secretariat, and two Regional Task Forces with Terms of Reference as specified in Attachment 2 [not reproduced].

a) The Regional Policy and Steering Committee shall be headed by a Chairperson to be elected by that Committee from among its membership at its first meeting and thereafter on an annual rotation, and shall include a maximum of three representatives of each Party led by an officer at permanent secretary level. The Executive Secretary, to be appointed by the Regional Policy and Steering Committee, at its first meeting, shall as head of the Regional Secretariat be responsible for monitoring progress, preparing review meetings, and compiling the preparation report.

b) One regional task force shall address fisheries management, and control of water hyacinth and other invasive weeds (Regional Task Force 1). The Lake Victoria Sub-Committee of the Committee on Inland Fisheries in Africa (CIFA) would undertake these functions. Once established, the Executive Committee of the proposed Lake Victoria Fisheries Organization would assume these functions from the CIFA Sub-committee.

c) Another regional task force shall address management of water quality and land use, including wetlands (Regional Task Force 2).

2. The regional task forces shall be composed of members from national working groups as established by the Parties.

3. The Executive Secretary, referred to under paragraph1(a) above, with the approval of the Policy and Steering Committee, shall make the necessary arrangements for recruitment of staff, experts, and other personnel to assist the Regional Task Forces in performing their functions. The experts recruited shall include, but not be limited to, the list of expertise contained in Attachment 3 [not reproduced] and the terms and conditions of service for the members of staff shall be in accordance with the guidelines set out by the Regional Policy and Steering Committee.

4. Each Party shall establish two National Working Groups and a National Secretariat to prepare national proposals for incorporation into regional programme components.

a) The two National Working Groups shall prepare national proposals for regional actions in respect of:

(i) fisheries management and control of water hyacinth and other invasive weeds, and;

(ii) management of water quality and land use, including wetlands. The membership shall include both administrative and scientific personnel, academic institutions, private sector parties and local non-governmental organizations, with a special effort to be made to incorporate local riparian community interests.

b) The National Secretariat in each country shall lend logistical support to the national working groups, integrate the findings of the working groups and prepare national documents for the regional deliberations. The heads of the national secretariats shall assist the Executive Secretary of the Regional Secretariat in preparing regional meetings and compiling the regional preparation report. The location of national secretariats in each country shall be determined by the Government.

5. The relationship between the organizational units established pursuant to Article 2 herein above shall be in accordance with Attachment 2, page 3 [not reproduced].

Article 3

Lead responsibilities

The lead responsibilities shall be distributed as follows: the Republic of Kenya shall be responsible for Regional Task Force 2 on Water Quality and Land Use, including Wetlands; the United Republic of Tanzania shall be responsible for the Regional Secretariat serving the Regional Policy Steering Committee; and the Republic of Uganda shall be responsible for Regional Task Force 1 on Fisheries Management and Control of Water Hyacinth and other Invasive Weeds.

Article 4

Financial Arrangements

An estimate of the overall costs for programme preparation broken down by organizational entities is given in Attachment 4 [not reproduced]. The Parties shall establish mechanisms to:

(i) access and;

(ii) manage the financial resources required to implement the preparatory programme.

Article 5

Final clauses

1. This Agreement shall enter into force on the date of tripartite signature thereof.

2. The Parties may adopt any amendment to this Agreement by mutual consent in writing.

3. The Secretary-General of the United Nations shall assume the functions of Depositary of this Agreement and any subsequent agreement reached by the Parties hereto pursuant to this agreement.

In Witness Whereof the undersigned, being duly authorized to that effect, have signed the Agreement this 5th day of August The Year