Dépliant : OMVS Inter - State Cooperation, Fundamental texts, Statutory Organs et programme

INTER-STATE COOPERATION Background Established on 11 March 1972 by the states of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal, the OMVS is the result of a long process of initiatives dating back to the colonial era and aimed at developing the Senegal River. This orientation actually started shaping in 1935 with the establishment of the Mission d'Amenagement du Fleuve Senegal (M. A. S.) which engaged in activities such as hydrologie and agronomie studies, development of rice perimeters etc. However , for the purpose of developing the river basin, it was only after the riparian states gained international sovereignty that a number of insti tutions were established, namely : - 1963-1968 : The Inter-states Committee for the De velopment of the Senegal River Basin grouping Guinea, Mali , Mauritania and Senegal. 1968-1972: The Senegal River Riparian States Organization (OERS) which, with the same membership as above, advocated a wider economie cooperation. In this respect, Il shall he noted that despite the successive changes brought to the institu– tional frame, the Organization has , ever since 1963, consistently worked to achieve the same objectives. Objectives The Organization's objectives are as follows : - To securize and increase the income of the populations concerned. - To restore the equilibrium of the sub-region's eco-system. - To reduce the vulnerability of the three Member States' economies. . - To accelerate economie development in the Member States. FUNDAMENTAL TEXTS The Organization's three Member States have signed four conventions which constitute the basic texts governing ail the activities aimed at harnessing the Senegal River and at developing the resources of the river basin. Convention on the Establishment of the OMVS Signed on Il March 1972 at Nouackhott by the Heads of State of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal , this convention - wich has been amended a number of times - de fines the mandate as weil as the competence of the Organization whose executive organ is the High Commission. Convention on the legal status of the Senegal river Under this convention signed on Il March 1972, the Senegal River (including its tributaries) is declared an international waterway in the territories of the Republics of Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. The convention also guarantees free navigation and equal treatment for ail member states with respect to the various forms of utilization of the river.water resources. Said free navigation and equal treatment of member states also applies to the roads and railways as weil as to the lateral canals constructed for the special purpose of making up for the impossibility of navigation or for the defective nature of the waterway in sorne sections of both the river and its tributaries, Regarding the exploitation of the river for agricultural or industrial purposes, the conven– tion provides for the principle of the contracting states'prior approval of ail projects that are likely to modify in a noticeable way the characteristics ofthe river. On 16 December 1975, an amendment to the