About the Project
The Himalayan Rivers of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra have created extensive systems of inland waterways in the region consisting of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal – BBIN region. For centuries, these inland waterways were inter-connected but due to the new drawing of political boundaries there is disconnect among themselves. This has resulted in poor institutional development for the management of these traditional inland waterways.
The current political discourse on trans-boundary cooperation among these countries has set the stage for institutional analysis of policies, laws and regulations governing inland waterways in the BBIN countries. This can lead to an alternative policy discourse for enabling reform measures on governing these inland waterways and will help deliberation on the need for trans-boundary cooperation among BBIN countries on the subject of inland waterways.
Supported By
The Asia Foundation
114 Jor Bagh (First Floor)
New Delhi – 110003 India
Goals and Objectives
The project aims to contribute to improving institutions (i.e. policies, laws, and regulations) for inland waterways governance with particular emphasis on transport connectivity and livelihood in the BBIN region.
In order to achieve the overall goal, the project objectives are to:
- Create of an alternative policy discourse between policy-makers, civil society, and communities for enabling reform measures and better governance of inland waterways; and
- Share knowledge between governments and CSOs on governance of inland waterways.
The methodology is expected to result in new opportunities for government officials, policy-makers, civil society, communities, media and other stakeholders to come together, learn, and discuss important issues on key institutions, policies, laws and regulations on inland waterways. Specifically, expected outcomes are:
- Deeper and clear understanding of the current policy discourse and institutions of policies, laws and regulations governing the management of inland waterways in the BBIN countries
- Capture the interaction and implications of inland waterway institutions on gender dynamics and women livelihood
- Deliberation and gauging receptiveness on the findings of research and creation of a more inclusive alternative policy discourse at the sub-national, national, basin, and regional level
- Bring in the lower and upper riparian basin-level concerns into the policy discourse and create an enabling environment for advocating on management of inland waterways
- Dissemination of knowledge among policy makers and CSOs as well as creation of a regional discourse for deliberations on the need for cooperation for enabling reform measures among the BBIN countries for better management of inland waterways
Methodology
CUTS and its country partners will conduct institutional analysis on the policies, laws, and regulations of inland waterways in the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins and organise targeted policy dialogues and participatory discussions with key stakeholders engaged in/with inland waterways.
Expected Outcomes
The methodology is expected to result in new opportunities for government officials, policy-makers, civil society, communities, media and other stakeholders to come together, learn, and discuss important issues on key institutions, policies, laws and regulations on inland waterways. Specifically, expected outcomes are:
- Deeper and clear understanding of the current policy discourse and institutions of policies, laws and regulations governing the management of inland waterways in the BBIN countries
- Capture the interaction and implications of inland waterway institutions on gender dynamics and women livelihood
- Deliberation and gauging receptiveness on the findings of research and creation of a more inclusive alternative policy discourse at the sub-national, national, basin, and regional level
- Bring in the lower and upper riparian basin-level concerns into the policy discourse and create an enabling environment for advocating on management of inland waterways
- Dissemination of knowledge among policy makers and CSOs as well as creation of a regional discourse for deliberations on the need for cooperation for enabling reform measures among the BBIN countries for better management of inland waterways
Partners
- Promoting navigational usage of inland waterways in Bangladesh – Poverty, livelihood, gender and environmental concerns
- Policy brief on navigation in Bhutan
- Expanding tradable benefits of inland waterways in India
- Developing inland waterways in Nepal – Prospects and challenges galore
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Nepal
- Creating tradable benefits for women through development of inland waterways
Outputs
Policy Briefs
Country Reports
Gender Case Studies
Events
- Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins
- Brahmaputra Basin Policy Dialogue on ‘Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins’
- Ganga Basin Policy Dialogue on ‘Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins’
- National Policy Dialogue (NPD)
Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins - India National Reference Group (NRG) Meeting
- Expanding Tradable Benefits of Trans-boundary Water: Promoting Navigational Usage of Inland Waterways in Ganga and Brahmaputra Basins
26th – 27th October, 2017, Hotel Hindusthan International, Kolkata, India
Agenda | Background |Press Release
10 August 2017, Dhaka, Bangladesh
Agenda | Background
14 July, 2017, Kathmandu, Nepal
Agenda | Background
23 May 2017, New Delhi, India
Agenda | Background
7th March, 2017, New Delhi, India
Agenda | Background
24 October, 2016, Guwahati, India
Agenda | Background | Event Report