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Strategic Program for the Argentine-Bolivian Binational Basin of the Bermejo River Is Ten Years Old

The Strategic Action Program (SAP) for the Binational Basin of the Bermejo River between Argentina and Bolivia, developed with the support of the Organization of American States (OAS), turns ten years old as it continues to seek to address environmental issues in the area and promote the sustainable development of the river. The results of the project, “Implementation of the Strategic Action Program for the Binational Basin of the Bermejo River,” after ten years, were presented at OAS headquarters during the VII Meeting of the Board of Directors of the SAP.

The four strategic areas of the SAP Bermejo are: Institutional Development and Strengthening; Protection and Rehabilitation of the Environment; Sustainable Development of Natural Resources; Raising Awareness, Public Participation and Replicability. Furthermore, the multiplier role of initiatives for the sustainable development of the basin was highlighted, as well as the progress achieved in the consolidation of the institutional framework, the implementation of practices and protection of ecosystems, productive development, public participation and the proposal of guidelines of the Integral Management Program of the Bermejo River Basin (PROBER).

In this sense, the Binational Committee of the Bermejo River Upper Basin and the Río Grande de Tarija (COBINABE) ratified the objective of generating activity in the basin to promote the sustainable development and improve the quality of life of its residents and highlighted the need to convene all the basin’s stakeholders and national and international institutions to participate actively in the process of identification of projects within its framework, prioritizing the preservation of the environment and social development.

“We have agreed to continue with this project,” said the representative of Bolivia to the SAP, Eugenio Mendoza, Bolivia’s delegate and President Protempore of the COBINABE. “We have reached consensus and have adopted all the projects that have been developed in ten years,” he added. Furthermore, he highlighted that the project “has allowed us to make long-term plans.”

For his part, the representative of Argentina, Eduardo Cavadini, his country’s delegate to the COBINABE, said that “what’s important in this stage since the Binational Committee of the Bermejo was created is that it reflects the political changes that have occurred in our countries from 95 to the present.” He added that “the challenge is to transform the border into a territory that does not divide but a territory of integration.”

Enrique Bello, OAS Specialist in the Department of Sustainable Development, highlighted the importance of the project. “The most important impact has to be the control and facilitation of water resources,” he said, and explained that a series of dikes or small dams were built as part of the project that has allowed farmers in the area to have fields to cultivate. “These advances changed the lives of the residents of the area, who today have water resources and an area for cultivation.”

A photo gallery of the event will soon be available here.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org

Reference: E-197/10