SECRETARY-GENERAL URGES SYNCHRONIZED MANAGEMENT OF RIVER WATER IN MESSAGE TO NIGER BASIN AUTHORITY HEADS OF STATE CONFERENCE

Secretary-General urges synchronized management of river water

in message to nigerbasin authority heads of state conference

(Delayed for translation of text, originally delivered in French.)

The following is the text of Secretary-General Kofi Annan’smessage to the Conference of Heads of State of the Niger River Basin Authority, delivered in Paris today, 26 April, by Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for West Africa:

I take great pleasure in sending you all warm greetings.  I welcome this conference, which is being held at a time when water-related crises are multiplying around the world.  In some regions, the growing scarcity of this resource, essential to our survival, is already becoming a strain on development and a catalyst for tensions.  The equitable sharing of water resources is one of the most important challenges we face today.

The riparian countries of the Niger River are being buffeted by climatic disequilibria and population pressures which affect the level of the river.  In the areas of agricultural production, energy independence and environmental safeguards, the problems to be solved are enormous.  Yet the Niger basin has significant assets, particularly in agriculture and energy.  Synchronized management of the river and exploitation of its water resources will make it possible to take full advantage of these assets for the benefit of all of the riverbank countries.  It is also a further guarantee of peace and security in the subregion, provided, of course, that such collective initiatives are backed by national policies of strengthening peace and promoting democracy.

For this reason, I wish to pay tribute to the spirit of cooperation and solidarity that prevails in the relations between the States members of the River Niger Basin Authority (ABN).  I encourage them to continue giving priority to collective management projects and urge them to work out practical modalities to ensure that national projects do not affect the fragile equilibrium of the river and the situation of the other riparian countries.  To this end, it is essential that expertise and available resources be shared.  It is also necessary to strengthen the different legal frameworks and subregional integration.

I welcome the partnership that has been established between the ABN countries and the international financial institutions.  Greater involvement of these institutions in the conduct and funding of management projects in the Niger basin is essential for the countries of the subregion.  I further encourage all donors to keep to their commitments.  For its part, the United Nations will continue to do its utmost to assist Africans to meet the multiple challenges facing the continent.

Lastly, I wish to pay tribute to French President Jacques Chirac.  By hosting this conference in Paris, France has shown once again that it is determined to support development efforts in Africa.

I wish you every success in your deliberations.

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