L. Victoria Basin stakeholders to abide by laws

Participants attending the 3rd Lake Victoria Basin Stakeholders Forum this week resolved to promote compliance to existing laws and regulations in order to realise sustainable development in the basin.The resolution was reached at the two-day forum held in Entebbe, Uganda on Thursday. The meeting was held under the theme: “Enhancing Partnership for Sustainable Development.”The forum was attended by ministers from East African Community (EAC), representatives of EAC institutions, officials from various universities and environmental management agencies, among others.Speaking at the meeting, Dr. Cannisius Kanangire, the Executive Secretary, Lake Victoria Basin Commission, noted that the Commission had contributed to the harmonisation of coordinated actions in various ways in the basin.“I have no doubt that these strategies, when shared, understood and utilised, shall contribute to the environmental conservation and poverty eradication in the Lake Victoria Basin,” he said.The projects implemented under Lake Victoria Basin Commission in Rwanda include the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase 2 (LVEMP2) and Lake Victoria Water Supply and Sanitation implemented in Nyanza, Nyagatare and Kayonza towns.At the event, participants deliberated on a wide range of issues in the areas of natural resources, environment and production systems; trade and investment; quality of life and information sharing in Lake Victoria Basin.The forum is a biennial event organised by the LVBC to share experiences on sustainable development issues in the Basin.During the meeting, participants commended the improvements in the coordination of sustainable development issues in the Basin, in line with the Kisumu Declaration of October 2009.Uganda’s 1st Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for EAC, Eriya Kategaya, called upon participants that sustainability must remain the basis of mutual cooperation amongst institutions and agencies working in the basin.“Let me make this clear: there is enough room for all of us to strive to work together in the Lake and its Basin. What we really need to do is to strive to work together on the basis of mutual trust and respect for the various institutional expertise, values and mandates,” Kategaya added.Months ago, Rwanda hosted LVBC first meeting outside Kisumu, Kenya, the seat of the Commission, following the decision of the 9th Meeting of the Sectoral Council to commence the rotation of such meetings in all the five Partner States.Lake Victoria Basin covers an estimated 194,000 square kilometres. It has a population of about 40 million people; a GDP of $40 billion; and, a wealth of resources of economic importance.