Strategic Priorities for the International Joint Commission (September 2024)
The Commissioners of the International Joint Commission (IJC) agree on the three following priorities. All are equally important.
Strategic Priority #1 -- Enhance the IJC’s transboundary watershed approach.
Achieving the Commission’s mandate in the face of increasing climate change impacts necessitates an intensified and holistic watershed approach in Canada-United States transboundary watersheds. We will:
- support activities whereby all boards take a watershed approach to their work;
- intensify the use of watershed approaches; and
- develop tools to better understand watershed science and to enhance watershed governance and management practices.
Strategic Priority # 2 -- Enhance the role of Indigenous peoples in collaborative governance.
The Commissioners agree that the IJC can greatly enhance understanding and application of collaborative governance regarding Canada-United States transboundary watersheds. We will:
- develop and share best practices with IJC boards on transboundary collaborative governance, indigenous participation on boards, acknowledging Indigenous peoples’ transboundary lands and waters in our work, and the braiding of Indigenous science and western science in all IJC activities; and
- develop a “lessons learned” report on collaborative governance based on the ElkKootenai/y watershed IJC Reference experience.
Strategic Priority # 3 -- Improve internal operations of IJC
The Commissioners agree that it is critical to continually increase the overall operational effectiveness and external awareness of the IJC. We will:
- create a unified “One IJC” system of internal operations;
- clarify and focus on communicating IJC’s unique role and value to the public and governments; and
- track progress on these strategic priorities.