Issue 25 : June 2003

More than 100 participants from five continents gathered at the University of Virginia School of Law in Charlottesville April 18-19 to discuss how to get the public involved in management of large watersheds that cross national boundaries. 

The symposium "Improving Public Participation and Governance in International Watershed Management was one of the components of the UNU Centre initiative on International River and Lake Basins Management. It was organised in conjunction with the University of Virginia School of Law Environmental Law Institute, America’s Clean Water Foundation, United Nations Environment Programme, U.S. Department of State and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The following topics were discussed:

• The Role of Public Participation in Decision-making:  Essential or Dispensable in Watershed Management?

• Specific Tools for Facilitating Access to Information and Public Participation in International Watercourse Management

• Public Involvement in International Financial Institutions

• Technical session - Tools for a Virtual Community

• Public Involvement in International Watercourses

• Public Involvement in Trans-boundary Watercourses in Africa

• Experiences in Managing Sub-national Watersheds

The principal focus of the symposium was an examination of mechanisms for making watershed information available to the public, ensuring that members of the public have the opportunity to participate in decisions, and offering avenues for the public to seek independent redress. 

Increasingly, the Internet presents opportunities to disseminate information on the status of trans-boundary watersheds and projects that could affect them, as well as providing an avenue to solicit public input regarding decisions on projects and broader policies.

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