Kyoto 3rd WorldWater Forum 16 - 24 March 2003. A General contribution by yhe OMVS High Commissioner

o To strengthen means for early warning , prevention and management of hydrological risks and hazards; o To preserve, valorize, restore and up-keep the environemental frame and ecosystems; WHATTO DO? o To implement the provisions of the 28 May 2002 Charter of warters which constitutes a vanguard, innovative and unique instrument; o To elaborate management and decision making tools such as : The Senegal Rive r ' Basin Development and Management Master Scheme, How TO DO Il? o To Etablish a Participatory strategic environ mental frame designed to ensure an ecologically sustainable development in Senegal River Basin; o To elaborate an inclusive strategy based on a cooperation programme designedfor transboundary management of shared water resources; o To structure and strengthen a basin-w ide concerted management that involves ail actors. Based on our long and rich experience , we have come to this rendez-vous of give and take to share with the international community the capital of Knowledge base we have acqu ired over a score and twelve years of trials and errors . The case of the Senegal River Development Organisation allows today to assert that : o a river basin constitutes a territory Calling for integrated management of wate r and ecosystem resources. EXPECTEO RESULTS To achieve these objectives, it will be necessary to set up a regionalcooperation frame , a process that requires actual political will from the riparian states and whose expression goes through the following stages :