Lake Victoria Basin Commission
From TrustAfrica wiki - African Regional Organizations
The Executive Secretary
The Lake Victoria Basin Commission
P.O. Box 1096, Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255-27-2504253/8
Fax: +255-27-2504255
Email: eac@eachq.org / lvdp@eachq.org
Website: http://www.eac.int/lvdp
Description
The Lake Victoria Basin Commission is an institution of the East African Community established in the Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin by the Council of Ministers in 2001. The objectives of the Commission are to promote equitable economic growth; promote measures aimed at eradicating poverty; promote sustainable utilization and management of natural resources; promote the protection of the environment within the Lake Victoria Basin; and promote compliance on safety of navigation.
The broad functions of the Commission are to promote, facilitate and coordinate activities of different actors towards sustainable development and poverty eradication of the Lake Victoria Basin through: harmonization of policies, laws, regulation and standards; promotion of stakeholders participation in sustainable development of natural resources; guidance on implementation of sectoral projects and programs; promotion of capacity building and institutional development; promotion of security and safety on the Lake; promotion of research development and demonstration; and monitoring, evaluation and compliance with policies and agreed actions.
The sources of funds for the Commission are the East Africa Community budget, stakeholders' contributions and development partners. The Partner States of the Commission have established partnership agreements with development partners such as the European Union and the World Bank to promote the development of the Lake Victoria basin based on the objectives and guiding principles as agreed from time to time. The Commission also cooperates with the objectives and aspirations of the Partnership Consultative Committee established under the Partnership Agreement between the EAC and development Partners in the promotion of sustainable development in the Lake Victoria Basin.
Track Record
Under this mandate, the Lake Victoria Basin commission is already, addressing the receding of Lake Victoria level that would see the development of a new policy for the Lake Victoria release curve that would restore the lake surface to a level that would not affect the existing developments and allow future development that is acceptable to the riparian states.
Challenges
Lake Victoria is under threat as water levels recede, putting to risk the livelihoods of more than 30 million people.
