IREE-Mono: Reviewing Progress and Setting Priorities at the Fourth Regional Steering Committee Meeting

Grand-Popo, Benin | 29–30 October 2026

The fourth meeting of the IREE-Mono Regional Steering Committee brings together institutions from Benin and Togo, implementing partners and representatives of basin stakeholders around a shared objective: strengthening the coordinated management of water resources in the face of environmental and climate pressures. Focused on reviewing the project's second year of implementation and preparing for its third year, the meeting provides an opportunity to define intervention priorities and reinforce coordination among partners.

The meeting brings together the Directors General responsible for water in Benin and Togo, Global Environment Facility (GEF) focal points, prefects, and representatives of civil society, women's organizations and youth groups. The Mono Basin Authority (MBA), the Global Water Partnership West Africa (GWP-WA) and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) are also participating in these consultations.

The review of the project's technical and financial implementation constitutes the first major focus of discussions. The objective is to assess progress, examine challenges encountered and identify the necessary adjustments. The review of the Annual Work Plan and Budget for the third year is expected to guide upcoming activities and ensure coherence of interventions across the basin.

Funded by the GEF and implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Regional Initiative for Water and Environment in the Transboundary Mono River Basin (IREE-Mono) is jointly executed by the MBA, which ensures overall coordination, the OSS and GWP-WA. This partnership combines institutional cooperation, technical expertise and stakeholder participation to support integrated water resources management and strengthen the resilience of ecosystems and communities.

The OSS contributes in particular to developing the knowledge base and tools required for coordinated planning. The Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) process, designed to inform the development of the Strategic Action Programme (SAP), plays a central role in this approach. It aims to identify priority challenges, understand their underlying causes and develop shared responses between the two countries. The objective is to establish a common scientific basis for decision-making and action.

This cooperation addresses the challenges facing a basin covering approximately 24,300 km², whose water resources support agriculture, livestock farming, fisheries and energy production. Ecosystem degradation, growing pressures from water use and the impacts of climate change are undermining these activities, against a backdrop of recurrent floods and droughts. Managing the basin therefore requires sustained coordination among countries, sectors and stakeholders.

Through this fourth session, the partners continue to pursue a shared ambition: turning knowledge and dialogue into coordinated action to preserve the Mono Basin's water resources and safeguard the livelihoods of communities living along the river.