10TH MEETING OF THE SECTORAL COUNCIL OF MINISTERS FOR LAKE VICTORIA BASIN TO BE HELD IN KIGALI
ARUSHA, Tanzania, April 25, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The Lake Victoria Basin Commission has organised the 10th Sectoral Council of Ministers for Lake Victoria Basin to take place from 30th April to 5th May 2012 at Umubano Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda.
It will be the first such meeting to take place 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 as a means to enhance the visibility of the Commission in the communities it serves and allow participants to visit its activities on the ground.
The session of Senior Officials will take place 30th April –1st May, followed by the session of the Coordination Committee (Permanent Secretaries) to be held on 2nd – 3rd May 2012. The Ministerial session will take place on 4th May 2012, followed by a Ministerial Study Tour to selected activities of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission in Rwanda.
The 10th Meeting of the Sectoral Council of Ministers for Lake Victoria Basin is expected to consider several reports on the status of implementation of decisions of the 9th Sectoral Council of Ministers; and the Annual Report 2010-2011 of the Lake Victoria Basin Commission.
The meeting shall also consider a report from the Office of the Executive Secretary and a report on the Commission's seven key projects and programmes: the Partnership Consultative Committee; the Lake Victoria Environmental Management Project Phase II (LVEMP II); the Mount Elgon Regional Ecosystem Conservation Project (MERECP); the EAC/AMREF Lake Victoria Partnership on HIV/AIDS in Lake Victoria Basin; the Lake Victoria Water Supply and Sanitation Programme Phase II (LVWATSAN II); the Maritime Transport, Safety and Security on Lake Victoria (MCSLV); as well as the Transboundary Water for Biodiversity and Human Health in the Mara River Basin (TWBHH-MRB).
The Ministerial Study Tour shall include visits to selected activities of LVEMP II and LVWATSAN II. During the Ministerial Tour, a media briefing will be held to discuss LVEMP II and LVWATSAN activities.
Notes to Editors:
• The Lake Victoria Basin covers an estimated 194,000 square kilometers. It has a population of about 40 million people; a GDP of US$40 billion; and, a wealth of resources of economic importance.
• The Lake Victoria Basin Commission is an institution of the East African Community established to coordinate the sustainable development agenda of the Lake Victoria Basin.
• The Protocol for Sustainable Development of Lake Victoria Basin established the Sectoral Council of Ministers for Lake Victoria Basin to perform several functions, including the provision of overall policy directions for the implementation of projects and programmes in the Basin.