Plaquette : Making the Senegal river navigable - IAGF 6ème session

/~~~ :~~~~ »>: ---------- ----.... »: --------------- -------- ----- :~--1:\~~r~ d i x 1 The OMVS: a single body of governance and a model of integrated management TheOrganisat ion for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS) was founded in 1972 . lt is the result of long discussions between t he States crossed by the river on its navigability, t hough th e severe droughts t hat hit t he region in the 1970s accelerated its evolution. Managing the resource t herefore became an essentia l goal for the population and ecosystem, making cooperation between governments vital. The OMVS is the refore a political and instit ut ional response to t he vulnerability of the member States (Senegal, Mali, Mauritania and Guinea) in the face of c1 imatic f luctuations, and a lever for economic development and a tool of regional solidarity. The OMVS was founded wi th three basic principles: the river and its tr ibuta ries are international property ; the ir resources are exploited mutually and fairly; ail t he str uctures are the common property of the States. Cooperation and integration are t herefore the two strong values of th is intergovernmental organisation. It has 5 main objectives: Attain food self-sufficiency for the population and t he basin and th e sub-region; Secure and improve the incomes of the basin's inhabitants and of t he neighbouring areas; Ensure ecological balance in the basin and encourage its presence in the Sahel region; Make the economies of the member States of the OMVS less vulnerable to c1imatic conditions and external facto rs; Accelerate the economic development of t he member count ries by promoting regional cooperation and exploiting the basin's hydroelectric potential. 2S