The World Commission on Dams: A fundamental step towards integrated water resources management and poverty reduction? A pilot case in the Lower Zambezi, Mozambique

Stakeholder participation is one of the fundamental components of integrated water resources management (IWRM). For effective participation in dam projects, affected people need to be empowered, have access to information and adequate capacity. In this context JA!, a Mozambican environmental NGO, is undertaking a project to share WCD recommendations with affected people along the Zambezi River. JA! has adopted a “bottom-up” approach to ensure that the people's interests are included in government projects. This approach could give Mozambique the power to safeguard the environment while sustaining peoples' livelihoods.