South Africa
1. The conference was attended by 28 ministers from water and energy in Africa and representatives
of major groups including business, NGO?s and civil society. The conference adopted a ministerial declaration
and action plan:
2. The following 17 points are the key commitments made by the Ministers during the Conference:
a. Commit to working together (ministers of water and energy) to unlock the hydropower
potential of Africa as a major renewable energy option to promote sustainable development,
regional integration, water and energy security, and poverty eradication in Africa.
b. Agree that sound environmental and social impact assessments, mitigation and
management plans should be the norm for hydropower development, which must be applied in
accordance with strengthened national regulatory frameworks and international standards of good
practice.
c. Emphasise the importance of capacity building not only for hydropower but also for
climatic changes.
d. Emphasise the importance of resettlement principles, which include full participation of
affected communities, with particular attention to vulnerable groups and culturally sensitive areas.
e. Emphasise that those local communities affected by a hydropower project, must derive
positive sustainable benefits.
f. Commit to mainstreaming gender issues as appropriate.
g. Agree to promote the integration of hydropower generation with other water uses and to
promote hydropower on existing dams.
h. Agree that hydropower development must be carefully considered alongside other energy
options.
i. Accept that the costs of social and environmental mitigation measures and plans should
be fully assessed and integrated in the total cost of the project.
j. Agree to promote hydropower development, within the principles that exist at national,
sub-regional and regional levels of integrated transboundary water resource management and
benefit sharing arrangements.
k. Agree to promote transboundary water basin organisations and regional power pools.
l. Agree to improve cooperation and coordination between the Ministers responsible for
water and energy, particularly within the ambit of African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) as
they have a good basis for cooperation.
m. Commit ourselves to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks and human capacity in
support of sustainable hydropower development.
n. Commit to ensuring that the outcomes of this conference are fed into the NEPAD
infrastructure planning process of the African Union (AU), as well as into national and ministerial
plans of action.
o. Call on multilateral and bilateral funding agencies to engage with African countries on
hydropower development, promoting national and regional project development facilities and
innovative funding mechanisms. Ministers take note of the establishment of the Infrastructure
Consortium Secretariat at the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the necessary coordination and
mobilisation of resources.
p. Call upon AMCOW, the African Energy Commission (AFREC) and the Forum of Energy
Ministers of Africa (FEMA), with the support of the relevant UN umbrella bodies, to implement the
Action Plan of this conference.
q. To invite South Africa, together with AFREC and FEMA, to report back to the Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD) 14 and together with AMCOW, to report back to World Water
Forum (WWF) 4.
The South African Government is honoured to have hosted the African Ministerial Conference on
Hydropower and Sustainable Development.
Full documentation available on www.hydropowerconference2006.co.za
of major groups including business, NGO?s and civil society. The conference adopted a ministerial declaration
and action plan:
2. The following 17 points are the key commitments made by the Ministers during the Conference:
a. Commit to working together (ministers of water and energy) to unlock the hydropower
potential of Africa as a major renewable energy option to promote sustainable development,
regional integration, water and energy security, and poverty eradication in Africa.
b. Agree that sound environmental and social impact assessments, mitigation and
management plans should be the norm for hydropower development, which must be applied in
accordance with strengthened national regulatory frameworks and international standards of good
practice.
c. Emphasise the importance of capacity building not only for hydropower but also for
climatic changes.
d. Emphasise the importance of resettlement principles, which include full participation of
affected communities, with particular attention to vulnerable groups and culturally sensitive areas.
e. Emphasise that those local communities affected by a hydropower project, must derive
positive sustainable benefits.
f. Commit to mainstreaming gender issues as appropriate.
g. Agree to promote the integration of hydropower generation with other water uses and to
promote hydropower on existing dams.
h. Agree that hydropower development must be carefully considered alongside other energy
options.
i. Accept that the costs of social and environmental mitigation measures and plans should
be fully assessed and integrated in the total cost of the project.
j. Agree to promote hydropower development, within the principles that exist at national,
sub-regional and regional levels of integrated transboundary water resource management and
benefit sharing arrangements.
k. Agree to promote transboundary water basin organisations and regional power pools.
l. Agree to improve cooperation and coordination between the Ministers responsible for
water and energy, particularly within the ambit of African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) as
they have a good basis for cooperation.
m. Commit ourselves to strengthen legal and regulatory frameworks and human capacity in
support of sustainable hydropower development.
n. Commit to ensuring that the outcomes of this conference are fed into the NEPAD
infrastructure planning process of the African Union (AU), as well as into national and ministerial
plans of action.
o. Call on multilateral and bilateral funding agencies to engage with African countries on
hydropower development, promoting national and regional project development facilities and
innovative funding mechanisms. Ministers take note of the establishment of the Infrastructure
Consortium Secretariat at the African Development Bank (AfDB) for the necessary coordination and
mobilisation of resources.
p. Call upon AMCOW, the African Energy Commission (AFREC) and the Forum of Energy
Ministers of Africa (FEMA), with the support of the relevant UN umbrella bodies, to implement the
Action Plan of this conference.
q. To invite South Africa, together with AFREC and FEMA, to report back to the Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD) 14 and together with AMCOW, to report back to World Water
Forum (WWF) 4.
The South African Government is honoured to have hosted the African Ministerial Conference on
Hydropower and Sustainable Development.
Full documentation available on www.hydropowerconference2006.co.za
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