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Cotonou Declaration For water stakeholders of the West African Region - Water and Sustainable Development Goals - Water and Climate

The States of the world will make two fundamental decisions in 2015:

- In September, they will set their strategic priorities for the next 15 years through the post 2015 Agenda;

- In December, they will finalize in Paris their climate roadmap during the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP 21).

The main water stakeholders of the West African Region, especially the Country Water Partnerships, met in Cotonou (Benin) on 7 and 8 May, 2015 as part of the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP/WA), shall undertake to adopt actions in order to influence the future decisions of the international community:

  1. They will appeal to their Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Water and Environment, to ensure that national positions held in the UN negotiations be based on:

 

  • Obtaining a water dedicated Goal with targets in the post 2015 agenda as well as a monitoring system to keep track of their future implementation on the basis of relevant and appropriate indicators for the countries of the South;

 

  • Obtaining a component relating to the adaptation in the Agreement resulting from the COP 21 and integrating a significant Water dimension and the necessary funding;

 

  1. They will mobilize their internal and international networks of the water sector and other sectors, such as parliamentarians, local and regional authorities, youth, women, to raise awareness in this regard;

 

  1. They will bring their expertise in the framework of existing international initiatives:

 

  • For the development of a monitoring system for the implementation of the Post-2015 water targets and appropriate indicators and promoting events that help to move toward in that direction;

 

  • To provide input into the content of the future Paris Agreement on climate, particularly on its aspects related to adaptation, financing (criteria for defining climate-compatible projects) and Agenda of solutions (including experiences in integrated water resources management at the level of river basins) as well as communication activities during the COP 21.

 

The Executive Secretariat of GWP/WA will monitor the implementation of this declaration.

Done in Cotonou on May 8, 2015

The Assembly of Partners

Page last edited: 6/29/2015