Transboundary water resources constitute nearly 80% of Africa’s freshwater resources. Therefore, cooperation over the management of shared resources and good governance on Transboundary waters is critical for water security, peace and stability and ultimately, sustainable socio-economic development of Africa. Increased regional cooperation and joint planning, development and management of water investments and infrastructure are essential to meet targets for agricultural and industrial development, health, food security, energy security, climate resilience, and health improvement, as well as other sectors. The Pan African Transboundary Water Governance Lab serves as a knowledge exchange and discussion space where water practitioners directly share their experiences, case studies and their ideas related to transboundary water cooperation, as well as to share upcoming opportunities and events in the Pan African region.

Water Governance and International Water Law training has been convened at the pan-African level since 2015. This community of practice continues the discussions and interactions started on that platform. We invite you to join us if you are:

  • Working on transboundary water management at a global, regional, national or basin level;
  • Researching topics adjacent to transboundary cooperation, international water law or water diplomacy;
  • Advocating for greater cooperation between countries on transboundary water resources.
  • Working on regional or transboundary water investments or involved in transboundary project resource mobilisation

The objectives of this Community are:

  • Sharing information, knowledge and experience on transboundary water management and water governance in Africa, taking lessons from global experiences
  • Facilitating continuous peer-to-peer and continental learning on transboundary and international water management
  • Enhancing and creating connections in transboundary and international water management
  • Facilitating the translation of knowledge into actions for improving transboundary water cooperation and management
  • Creating an interactive space for knowledge exchange among transboundary water practitioners outside of physical events
  • Connecting African professionals with the global level to facilitate the creation of new knowledge and sharing of experiences
  • Fostering the culture of peer-to-peer learning.

Who should join the Community?

  • All alumni of previous Pan Africa Face-to-face International Water Law training
  • Regional and Country Water Partnerships
  • Government representatives working on Transboundary Water issues
  • Water Governance Professionals
  • River/Lake Basin Organisations and Authorities
  • Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
  • Partners in Africa and beyond

Community Admins and Moderators

Our community has several moderators who are keen to ensure that the community discussions and materials respect the agreed guidelines. Please reach out to our moderators in case you have any concerns:

  • Loreen Katiyo, Moderator
  • Pinimidzai Sithole, Moderator
  • Yelysaveta Demydenko, Admin & Moderator

Partners

Our Pan African Transboundary Lab has a diverse network of partner organisations, among which our key partners are listed below.

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Transboundary Water Governance Lab partners

 

Community Guidelines

Thank you for being part of our community. To ensure the best possible experience for all members, we have established some guidelines for participation.

The Code of Conduct below lays out the goals, rules, and values that guide participant behaviour in the Pan African Transboundary Water Governance Lab, which is meant to be a space where diverse individuals can collaborate and interact in a positive and affirming way specifically on topics relevant to transboundary water management and governance towards a water secure world.

By joining and using this community space, you agree that you have read and will follow these rules and guidelines. You also agree to reserve discussions and shared files and content to community in which it is meant to be utilized.

In order to preserve a climate that encourages both civil and meaningful dialogue, GWP reserves the right to moderate, delete, and modify posts that do not follow the provisions listed below. In addition, GWP may discipline and/or terminate accounts for members who violate these rules.

Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with these important guidelines and rules. If you have questions, contact the member of the Toolbox Admin team at gwptoolbox@gwp.org.

Code of Conduct

Below are a few rules of common sense on how to act appropriately in the Community to guarantee a positive environment and constructive and democratic exchanges. Should you have further questions, please refer to the Terms of Use | GWP Toolbox.

  1. Keep it friendly. Every post should make a positive contribution. The Community is open to all points of view on the intended topics; mature, polite debate is encouraged. Attacks or cyber-bullying will not be tolerated. The Communities are meant to stimulate conversation and trigger the exchange of best practices, and not to create contention. Contradictory opinions are of course welcomed, but should always be thoughtful and respectful, rather than emotional, impulsive or anger-driven.
  2. Use clear language. Avoid using abbreviations and acronyms without clarifications. Aim to make experts and non-experts benefit from your input.
  3. Write succinctly to get your point across more effectively. Include a link to external content when appropriate.
  4. Keep the focus on on the thematic area of the community. The Communities are dedicated to topics that revolve around improving water management and governance towards a water secure world and can include cross cutting areas such as youth, gender and private sector engagement; it is not a place to share general news or for political debate.
  5. Share information and resources that are useful and informative to other members. Be careful not to offend the sensibilities or invade the privacy of others.
  6. Do not interrupt someone else’s thread in an attempt to change the topic or request support for a different issue. If you have a different issue, find the appropriate discussion thread or community for your issue.
  7. Do not chastise new users/newbies for asking questions or posting comments that may already be answered elsewhere. We get new participants in the Communities every day, please welcome them and make them feel like part of the community.
  8. Avoid posting hollow or useless replies, such as simply 'lol', ‘cool', 'first post', etc. Only post responses when you have something to contribute. Please use the like button to appreciate someone’s post.
  9. Intimidation, bullying, or harassment are not tolerated. See the Code of Conduct for more details.
  10. Racial or ethnic slurs, aggressive language, profanity, threats, or language that is offensive to other cultures, groups, or religions is not tolerated. See the Code of Conduct below for more details.
  11. Do not use the Community to promote or sell a product, service, or business unless it is relevant to the community channel.
  12. Copyrighted materials should not be shared without permission from the original publisher or author. Links to original materials may be shared when attributed to the owner.
  13. Do not use the Community to make funding requests, except in relevant channels.
  14. Do not provide instructions or advice that you know to be incorrect, intentionally misleading, or harmful.
  15. Do not attempt to create the impression that you are a GWP staff employee, nor imply that you are providing GWP support in an official capacity.
  16. Be honest, be yourself. The Community is intended to be used for the helpful exchange of information between Members. False, inaccurate, or otherwise misleading information is not helpful. Please be sincere in your Community participation by only contributing content you know is accurate. Be mindful to respect the "closed" environment of GWP’s online communities and do not forward messages to non-members.
  17. Do not post content containing personal or private information in public spaces; use direct messaging to share these sorts of details with specific people. This is for your security and protection.