CICOS : Institutional Audit

(The News N° 17 - February 2010)

The International Commission of the Congo-Ubangui-Sangha Basin (CICOS) requested the International Office for Water (IOWater) to prepare the Terms of Reference of an institutional audit, which is a priority for both the CICOS Secretariat General and the Member States. The study will propose improvements so that the institutional framework and the institution bodies are operational and long-term performing, with an orientation towards the sustainable development of the basin for the wellbeing of the riparian populations. The Terms of Reference, which were validated at the session of the Ministers’ Committee in November 2009, define the framework of the study and the specific objectives:

• Analyzing the primary causes of the ins - titutional difficulties encountered by CICOS during its last two fiscal years;
• Identifying the links with the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), of which CICOS is a specialized agency;
• l Proposing a sustainable financial mechanism for the entry into force of the new reform of the ”CEMAC” in 2013;
• Examining the possibilities of linking CICOS to the Economic Community of the Central African States (CEEAC) due to the presence of the Democratic Republic of Congo and possible accession of new countries;
• Allowing the operational implementation of the Additive to CICOS mandate exten - ding its responsibilities to Integrated Water Resources Management, including institutional development and capacity building;
• Identifying the appropriateness and place of a Basin Information System;
• Proposing an increasing and responsible involvement of all the basin stakeholders (public authorities, private operators and socio-professional organizations, users, NGOs, organizations of the civil society).

The results of this study are expected in the first half of 2010.