KOBLENZ, 19 October 2026: As part of the strengthening of cooperation between the Federal Republic of Germany and the Niger Basin Authority (NBA), the Executive Secretary of the NBA, accompanied by a delegation of the Authority, met with the Executive Secretary of the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR/IKSR) and his colleagues at the ICPR headquarters.

Ms Hanna ALBREICHT, Head of the GIZ Project in Support of the NBA, recalled the purpose of the working session and thanked the ICPR for its warm welcome.

The Executive Secretary of the ICPR, Mr Marc Daniel HEINTZ, after welcoming the initiative, proceeded to:
- note that the ICPR, like the NBA, comprises nine (9) members;
- present the mandate of the ICPR, its governance model and its fields of activity, as well as its major challenges, notably the management of water pollution from diverse sources, adaptation to climate change and ecosystem restoration.

The Executive Secretary of the NBA, H.E. Mr Kocou Armand HOUANYE, expressed:
- the NBA’s profound gratitude to the partners of the ICPR for their readiness to work more closely with the NBA;
- the wish to see the two institutions strengthen their cooperation in light of their numerous shared stakes and challenges, as well as their internationally recognized advances and achievements.

The discussions also addressed the activities of the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG) and the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) under the auspices of UNESCO, in connection with the mandate of the ICPR, which brought to light opportunities for cooperation with the NBA.

At the close of the meeting, the two Parties welcomed the fruitful exchanges and expressed their readiness to develop concrete joint initiatives in response to their major common and specific challenges.