The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (Department of Science and Scientific Research) held, on January 7-8, 2023, in Nouakchott, Mauritania, jointly with the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation, a workshop on “The Integrated and Sustainable Management of Water Resources for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals in the Arab World”.
Opening statements were delivered by the workshop coordinator, Mr. Amine Dahmani, from the Department of Science and Scientific Research at ALECSO, and by Dr. Mohamed Ahmed Mbeirick, Director of Scientific Operations at the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation, Mauritania.
The workshop aims to develop and raise Arab capacities, learn about experiences, share Arab expertise in terms of water resources protection, increase knowledge of the principle of integrated and sustainable development and management of water resources, and improve methods of adaptation to water scarcity in arid regions, in addition to highlighting technical, economic, institutional and environmental opportunities and challenges related to water resource conservation.
The workshop focused on a range of themes, including :
- Managing water resources for sustainable development in Mauritania;
- Efforts of FAO and the Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG6 (IMI-SDG6) towards achieving SDG 6.4 on water use and scarcity;
- The FAO AQUASTAT database and the data collection mechanism;
- Technical management of water resources in the Arab region for water security and sustainable development;
- The use of treated wastewater in agriculture : The Tunisian experience;
- Water resources and the challenges of reusing treated water in the Arab region;
- Increasing opportunities for efficient water productivity and sustainability in rain-fed agriculture;
- Success stories in the implementation of pioneering projects in water resource management and water rationalization.
