Page 72 - A_Matter_of_Survival_FINAL(1)_Classical

A Matter of Survival

Good Practices in the Management of

Transboundary Water Resources: The

Case Study of the Senegal River Basin
Development Organization (OMVS)

The Senegal River Basin Development Organization (OMVS) is recognized as one the
best models of water cooperation because of the specificity of its benefit-sharing
regime. Under the Senegalese legal framework, benefit sharing is directly linked to
the statute of common infrastructures, and all riparian states share the benefits of “Bringing Water for Greater Prosperity in the Senegal River Basin”, 2013 World Bank,
common water installations. However, this does not mean that states have an equal
benefit from common projects. Rather, benefit-sharing is organized on an equitable
basis, which consists of matching investment costs with the direct benefits earned
from water installations.

Financial arrangements enshrine the principle of equity. OMVS member states jointly
guarantee the repayment of the principal and interest on any loans made to the http://bit.ly/2uKRd9e
organization for the construction and operation of common facilities. The payments
are allocated pro rata according to each country’s participation in the costs and
expenses of the facilities, in accordance with a cost schedule set out in an agreement
between member states. Contributions to the costs and expenses also determine the
benefits which are withdrawn from common installations.

Source: Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace, Think Tank Roundtable Summary Report:
Cooperation and Benefit-Sharing in the Senegal and Niger River Basins, September 2015.

66