Assembly/AU/ Decl.1 (XI) Page 3 (f) Ensure the equitable and sustainable use, as well as promote integrated management and development, of national and shared water resources in Africa; (g) Build institutional and human resources capacity at all levels including the (h) (i) (j) (k) (l) (m) (n) (o) (p) (q) decentralized local government level for programme implementation, enhance information and knowledge management as well as strengthen monitoring and evaluation; Put in place adaptation measures to improve the resilience of our countries to the increasing threat of climate change and variability to our water resources and our capacity to meet the water and sanitation targets; Significantly increase domestic financial resources allocated for implementing national and regional water and sanitation development activities and Call upon Ministers of water and finance to develop appropriate investment plans; Develop local financial instruments and markets for investments in the water and sanitation sectors; Mobilize increased donor and other financing for the water and sanitation initiatives including national projects and Rural Water and Sanitation Initiatives, the African Water Facility; Water for African Cities programme and the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility, as committed in the G8 Initiatives on water and sanitation; Promote effective engagement of African civil society and public participation in water and sanitation activities and programmes; Promote programming that addresses the role and interests of youth and women, given that the burden of poor water and sanitation falls disproportionately on women and children; Strengthen AMCOW as a key regional mechanism, and other regional stakeholders, as relevant, for promoting cooperation on water and sanitation; Strengthen AMCOW’s initiative on sustainable management of water resources, to implement its roadmap for the African Groundwater Commission; Strengthen partnership at all levels in our countries and between Regional Economic Communities as well as with the international development agencies and promote public-private partnerships with the view to fast tracking actions towards meeting the MDG on water and sanitation in our continent; Request AMCOW to annually report on progress made in the implementation of our commitment on water and sanitation with support from regional partners, and to submit these reports for our consideration; Call on African Ministers in charge of water and finance in collaboration with the African Development Bank and development partners, to hold a meeting of Ministers of Water and Finance to develop appropriate financing policies; (s) Request the Regional Economic Communities and the Rivers and Lake Basin Organizations to initiate regional dialogues on climate change and its impacts on the water sector with the aim of designing appropriate adaptation measures; (t) Call upon the G8 to reaffirm at its next Summit in Japan its commitment to fully implement the G8 initiatives on water in Africa, notably the 2003 Evian Plan on Water, to step up their engagement in the sanitation sector and to enter into a strengthened partnership with the AU Member States, through AMCOW, for achieving the Water and Sanitation MDGs. (r) Done in Sharm El-Sheikh on 1July, 2008