Central Eurasian Water Crisis: Caspian, Aral, and Dead Seas (UNU, 1998, 203 pages): Part V: International organizations and inland seas: 12. The role of international organizations in the integrated management of international water bodies: The activities of the UNU, UNEP, and the World Bank in the Middle East: Conclusions

Central Eurasian Water Crisis: Caspian, Aral, and Dead Seas (UNU, 1998, 203 pages)

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Note to the reader from the UNU

Foreword

1. Perspectives on water environment management

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References

Part I: introduction

2. Central Eurasian water perspectives and arid land studies

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International cooperation for peaceful water management in critical areas

3. Major environmental problems in world lakes

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Declining water levels

Rapid siltation

Acidification

The progress of eutrophication

Contamination with man-made toxics

The collapse of aquatic ecosystems

Acknowledgements

References

Part II: The Aral Sea

4. Creeping environmental problems in the Aral Sea basin

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Introduction

Introduction to the notion of creeping environmental problems

Characteristics of CEPs

CEPs and the Aral region

Concluding comments and a call for research

Acknowledgement

References

5. the Aral Sea and socio-economic development

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Introduction

The technical system of cotton monoculture

The cotton swindle

Environmental problems and human health

The problem of pesticide pollution

The environment of the Aral Sea and international cooperation

The future of Central Asia

Recommendations

References

6. Satellite image maps of the Aral Sea and Central Asia

7. Voices from the region

A word on Aral

The role of academic research in solving the ecological problems of the Aral Sea region

References

Iranian strategies in Central Asia

Part III: The Caspian Sea

8. Environmental policy-making for sustainable development of the Caspian Sea area

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Introduction

Morphometry and the principal hydrological features

The water balance and water-level variations

The economic impacts on the Caspian states of the water-level variations

Other development issues requiring international cooperation

Conclusions

Acknowledgement

References

9. Iranian perspectives on the Caspian Sea and Central Asia

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Introduction

Iran's northern geopolitical interests

The issue of lake Hamun and the Hirmand River

Conclusion

Notes

References

Part IV: The Dead Sea

10. Principles for confidence-building measures in the Jordan River watershed

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Introduction

Background

Hydrography

International water rights law

Cooperative watershed development

Technological and management alternatives for the future

Conclusions

Acknowledgements

Notes

References

11. Alternative strategies in the inter-state regional development of the Jordan Rift Valley

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Introduction

Canal schemes for co-generation

The Peace Drainage Canal scheme and eco-political decision-making

The Aqaba hybrid scheme

Techno-political assessment of the Peace Drainage Canal and the Med/Red-Dead Sea canal

Conclusion

Acknowledgements

References

Part V: International organizations and inland seas

12. The role of international organizations in the integrated management of international water bodies: The activities of the UNU, UNEP, and the World Bank in the Middle East

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International water bodies require integrated management

The need for international efforts and a role for international organizations

The UNU: Accomplishments to promote sound management of international waters

Assistance given by UNEP and the World Bank to the Aral Sea programme

Programme for the Caspian Sea basin as an international effort

Conclusions

References

Contributors

Other titles of interest

Conclusions

Past experiences accumulated by the UNU, UNEP, and the World Bank have shown that the following aspects are essential in promoting the integrated management of international water bodies: collaboration among international organizations and donor agencies; and the involvement of the central decision-making mechanism.

Collaboration among international organizations and donor agencies

Although the importance of collaboration among various organizations, each with a different mandate, has been stressed, it has not always been realized in the past. For example, UNEP developed, between 1985 and 1987, the "Action Plan for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Common Zambezi River System" (David, 1988). The plenipotentiaries of the Zambezi River basin countries (ministries responsible mostly for water and/or environmental matters) signed the International Agreement on the Action Plan for the Environmentally Sound Management of the Common Zambezi River System in 1987 at Harare, Zimbabwe. The implementation of the Action Plan has nevertheless been very sluggish, because only a few donor agencies showed interest in the implementation of the Action Plan (Balek, 1992). As before, development activities in the Zambezi River basin have been conducted in an uncoordinated manner by riparian countries and donor agencies.

International organizations often stress the importance of coordination among basin countries. However, as a matter of fact, basin countries sharing an international water body usually have such mechanisms as a river basin authority or a lake basin commission for this purpose, and the remaining problem is how to make these institutional arrangements functional. Ironically, what is generally lacking is a mechanism that permits international organizations and donor agencies to coordinate their activities in a particular international basin.

One possible excuse for the lack of such a mechanism is that it is only the recipient country that is in a position to provide this mechanism - neither international organizations nor donor agencies are supposed to collaborate by themselves. However, if donor agencies assume that a basin country (in the developing world) lacks the capacity to manage its own water resources (and they provide it with various forms of aid), it would be very naive to presume that the same country would have the capacity to coordinate projects that would be provided by donor agencies. The lack of coordination may stem from the fact that (a) international organizations and donor agencies are themselves competing to support the "better" projects, (b) few of these organizations are willing to be coordinated by another donor agency, (c) little effort has been given to the establishment of a mechanism for coordination, and (d) neither international organizations nor donor agencies are keen to enhance the capability of the recipient country to coordinate aid operations. Thus, efforts are clearly needed to develop an appropriate mechanism so that development activities in an international basin could be coordinated both among basin countries and among international organizations and donor agencies.

The involvement of the central decision-making mechanism

Another essential factor in promoting integrated management of international water bodies is the involvement of the central decisionmaking mechanism in each basin country. The success of the World Bank in the Indus Water Treaty in getting the agreement of the riparian countries (though the Treaty did not aim at integrated management of the basin) can be attributed to the fact that the Prime Minister of India and the President of Pakistan were involved in the process and consulted throughout the negotiation process. The impasse in the implementation of the Action Plan for the Zambezi River basin may stem from the fact that (a) only ministries in charge of environment in basin countries, which were responsible for UNEP related issues, participated in the development of the Action Plan, (b) other ministries working on development projects in the basin had little to do with the Action Plan, and (c) the commitment of the central decision-making mechanism in each basin country was not obtained for implementation of the Action Plan.

Implementation of the "Aral Sea Program," promoted by the World Bank, can be used as a prototype because (a) the Program was supported by the top decision makers of the basin countries, (b) efforts were made to coordinate the activities of other international organizations and donor agencies, and (c) ministries in charge of developing projects in the catchment actively participated in the formulation of the Program.