he requisite negotiations to establish ZAMCOM date back to the late 1980s. These were suspended in the early 1990s to allow for discussions on the establishment of the regional framework, SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems that was initially signed in 1995, and revised in 2000, came into force in 2003 upon ratification by the required two-thirds majority. This instrument was renamed the R
evised Protocol on Shared Watercourses. The need for having an overarching legal and institutional framework for the region, the protocol, came about during the developmental discussions of the Zambezi River Basin when it was realized that the regional instrument would guide the establishment of various river basin organizations, including that of the Zambezi and serve as a modus operandi for the management of shared watercourses in Southern Africa. Fresh negotiations related to the ZAMCOM Agreement resumed in 2002. During the two-year period, i.e. 2002-2004, four rounds of talks were held. These negotiations were complemented by specialized technical activities, including high level Ministerial consultations that took place in Ethiopia and Mozambique in September and November 2003, respectively.
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