The Ganga Basin Management - The Ganga: Water Use in the Indian Subcontinent - page 247

provide a basis for effective political action. Experience suggests that negotia-
tions on political issues should be handled by national political representatives
who specialize in such activities.

Global and Regional Organizations

These, according to Prof. Fox's Report, include the United Nations, its sister orga-
nizations and regional bodies, such as, the Organization of American States and
the Council of Europe, which made major contributions. A report of the Secretary
General on International River Basin Development to the UN Committee on Natural
Resources at its fourth session gives an overview of the activities in the field of the
UN and related bodies as well as several other global and regional organizations.
The major contributions are as under:

• Generation and dissemination of legal and technical data: The efforts of the

UN outfit in the area have varied from convening panels of experts and semi-
nars to the publication of various documents on technical, economic, legal and
institutional aspects of international water resources development. Since the first
symposium on Comprehensive River Basins Development was convened by the
UN at Lake Success, New York in 1949, the Secretariat has held many meetings
and issued publications, related or specifically oriented, to international water
resources. These provide guidelines on the technical and institutional issues, on
which focus should be made, particularly in countries where the development of
an international river basin is in the initial stage.

• The UN outfit has also published a number of documents, dealing specially

with the legal aspects of management of shared water resources and reference
material. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the National Law
Commission have reviewed bilateral and multilateral treaties and conventions,
relating to the uses of international water courses and published reports which
give important inputs to further legal principles for use of international river
basins. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is currently car-
rying out work on cooperation in the field of environment, concerning natural
resources, shared by two or more countries.

• Provision of technical assistance, financing and training: The UNDP has financed

and assisted in various ways other UN agencies and the Secretariat, as also
regional organizations, in executing development projects on a large number of
international river basins. The latter include the Centre for Natural Resources,
Energy and Transport of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the
UN Secretariat, the FAO, World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the World
Bank and regional organizations, such as the Organizations of American States
(OAS) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) which provide tech-
nical support, directly, or supervise the work done either by individual experts, or
consultant firms. In addition, the UNDP assists in providing fellowships abroad
and training of local personnel during the execution of projects and arranges