Girma Hailu
Assistant Resident Representative (P)
Energy, Environment and Water, UNDP Ethiopia
Honourable Guests
Colleagues, Workshop Participants
Ladies and Gentlemen
UNDP is highly honoured to be invited to make a statement on this important meeting entitled ‘Integrated land and water management research and capacity building priorities for Ethiopia’ organised by the Ministry of Water Resources in collaboration with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization (EARO), and Ministry of Agriculture from 2–4 December 2002 at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Availability of increased water resources is the key to sustainable development. The Ethiopian Government has now committed itself by including water as one of its national priority agenda and formulated a 15-year comprehensive Water Resources Development Programme that outlines:
Together with education, health and infrastructure, water resource development is now one of the chapters that have been included in the sustainable development and poverty reduction programme.
UNDP financed the preparation of the Water Sector Development Programme (WSDP) by the Ministry of Water Resources that has now been finalised and efforts are being made to start implementation. This workshop is very timely since it builds on the research and capacity building aspect that is well recognised as a means to increase the availability and efficient management of water in Ethiopia. The fourth component of WSDP, water resource management, calls for expanded land and water resources studies and capacity building to meet the growing water demand of the population, as well as for crops and livestock.
UNDP chairs and coordinates the development partners’ group on water established to promote constructive dialogue with government counterparts. The substantive input of this group has been well appreciated by the Government during the WSDP formulation and subsequent Poverty Reduction strategy discussions. This forum not only helps to raise awareness and information exchange on water related issues but also serves as a critical vehicle to mobilise resources to implement the activities of the WSDP as well.
Let me once again reassure the workshop participants that UNDP will continue to support the water sector and hope this workshop will map out the way forward regarding land and water resource development research and capacity building in the country.