Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA) is a five-year (2017-2021) regional programme funded by the Government of Sweden. The program aims to contribute to poverty reduction and marginalization among vulnerable river basin communities through increased access to and control over riverine water resources on which their livelihoods depend.
It works with communities in the transboundary river basins of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) in Nepal, India and Bangladesh and the Salween in Myanmar. Program partners work with a cross-section of stakeholders involving river basin leaders, communities, women groups, and Civil Society Organization (CSO) networks, governments, and the private sector at various levels.
The TROSA programme works towards the following outcomes
- Government policies & practices at all levels in water resource management are more inclusive of community concerns and meet national & international standards
- Practices of private sector respect community access to water resources actively contributing to reduced conflict
- CSOs increasingly participate in or influence trans-boundary water governance, women’s inclusion and resolution of water conflicts
- River basin communities’ increasingly influence trans-boundary water governance policies and processes
- Increased influence of women in trans-boundary water governance, policy and processes
To respond with those challenges, the following activities are being implemented
Building capacity
River basin leaders, communities and CSO networks public and private policy and decision makers are among the target for strengthening capacity and engagement.
Supporting leadership and negotiating capital
One of our primary focus is to support leaders from remote, marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, so that their voices and rights recognized and respected.
Building an evidence base
Demand-led and policy/practice-relevant research are conducted under the programme in close partnership with universities, research institutes and community-based organizations (CBOs).
Facilitating multi-stakeholder dialogues
The program promotes multi-stakeholder dialogues in the GBM and Salween basins as a key mechanism for consideration of policy options and lessons, and as a means of achieving greater participation of those most directly affected by water governance into decision making.
The Program Management Unit (PMU) is hosted at Oxfam in Cambodia, Phnom Penh alongside Oxfam’s Mekong Regional Water Governance Program.
Contact
Jyotiraj Patra (Programme Manager TROSA)
Email: jyotiraj.patra@oxfam.org
Info.Trosa@oxfam.org
Twitter: @RiversTROSA