Positioning GMES & Africa in the Heart of the African Water Basin initiatives

From 30 Sept. to 3 Oct., the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) organized its 11th general assembly in Marrakech, concurrently with the International Summit on Water Security. The GMES and Africa Program was invited.

 

Organized under the high patronage of His Highness the King of Morocco, this unprecedented event attracted high-level political representatives with strong ministerial participation.

The GMES and Africa Programme was invited to participate in the H2020 AfriAlliance Project's Innovative Solutions Transfer Workshop, which presented innovative solutions (financial, educational engineering and governance) to address climate change in Africa.

Over 2 days, five sessions successively presented and discussed the topics of integrated water and energy management for food security and rural development, the challenges of adapting water to climate change at the scale of river basins, knowledge, innovation and information sharing in the field of water, water diplomacy, international and cross-border cooperation for water security, and the financing of water security.

The Programme Coordinator and the Technical Assistance Leader met with the Representative of the Nile Basin Authority, Prof. Seifeldin Hamad Abdalla, the President of the World Water Council, Mr. Loïc Fauchon, and the Executive Secretary of OSS, Mr. Khatim Kherraz.

Program

Monday 30 December

Workshop for the transfer of innovative solutions of the AfriAlliance project on Water and Climate

• Présentation du concept d’innovation sociale / Social Innovation in a nutshell - Dr Natacha Amorsi (OIEau)
• Innovative solution for monitoring climate variables in observation poor regions: Rain Measurement based on cellular phone networks in Africa - Pr. François Zougmoré
• Projet H20 Maghreb - M. Abderrafii Mardi; M. Mahmoud Hafsi
• Solution innovante : Modélisation numérique des écoulements souterrains et du transport de solutés - Dr. Fethi Lachaal
• Global monitoring for environment and security and Africa - Dr. Tidiane Ouattara
• Atténuation des pratiques agricoles locales sur le climat et les zones humides en Afrique : mise en place d’une stratégie de réduction des émissions des Gaz à Effet de Serre par les rizières - Mme Awawou Manouore Njoya
• Solutions for wastewater treatment and reuse in North Africa: the MADFORWATER project - Pr. Redouane Choukr-Allah, Dr. Dario Frascari
• Wimes® : Système d’Information pour l’eau et l’environnement - M. Nicolas Vernier
• Pourquoi la Gestion des Eaux Transfrontalières est-elle importante pour l’adaptation aux Changements Climatiques en Afrique - M. Abdouldaye Ndiaye
• The Nile Basin Experience in Transferring Innovative Solutions to Meet the Challenges of Water and Climate - Prof. Seifeldin Hamad Abdalla

Presentation of G&A by Dr Ouattara during the workshop on the transfer of innovative solutions

Workshop on the Cooperation Topic, the 9th World Water Forum – Meeting with INBO’s regional networks

This session gathers, around the INBO regional networks' facilitators, several types of stakeholders interested in the Cooperation topic selected among the 4 main priorities of the 9th World Water Forum (Dakar, 2021). This topic covers not only conflict prevention, but also promotion of cooperation, and common tools:

• Transboundary water cooperation in Northernmost Europe -in Finnish Lapland - M. Timo Jokelainen
• Multi-stakeholder dialogue and cooperation in IWRM implementation in river basins - Mr; Ramiro Martínez
• Transboundary water management in countries of EECCA – present and future - . Dr. Viktor A.Dukhovniy, Iuliia Merzlikina
• La coopération entre l'agence de l'eau RMC et l'agence de bassin hydraulique SOUSS MASSA - M. Mhamed El Fasskaoui
• Coopération et le rôle des instruments juridiques - Dr. Komlan Sangbana
• Challenges and Solutions for Integrated Water Resources Management in Romania - Mme Elena Tuchiu
• La Coopération dans le Processus du 9ème Forum Mondial de l’Eau - M. Mohamed Fawzi Bedredine

Tuesday 1st October

Official opening ceremony
High-level ministerial session on water security

Session N° 1: "IWRM" : Integrated water and energy management for food security and rural development

• GIRE dans les bassins sous juridiction de l'OMVG - M. Lansana Fofana
• Gestion intégrée de l’eau et de l’énergie en faveur de la sécurité alimentaire et du développement rural. Témoignage dans le bassin Adour Garonne, France - Mme Aline Comeau
• Water Security in Brazil - M. Ricardo Medeiros de Andrade

The high level panel

Session N° 2: "Climate" : The challenges of adapting water to climate change in river basins

• Together we make water a global priority - M. Eric Tardieu
• Enjeux de l’adaptation de l’eau au changement climatique à l’échelle de bassins hydrographiques - M. Omar Benjelloun
• Les agences de l'eau - M. Laurent Roy
• Los Desafíos de Adaptar el Agua al Cambio Climático en las Cuencas Hidrográficas - M. Francisco Lahóz
• Global Clean Water Desalination Alliance - Mme Fatma Ben Fadhl

Wednesday 2nd October

Session N° 3: "Knowledge": Knowledge, innovation and information sharing in the water sector

• Connaissance, Innovation le partage d’information dans le domaine de l’eau - M. Niouga Ambroise OUEDRAOGO
• La Connaissance, l’innovation, et le partage d’information dans le domaine de l’eau - M. Abdemaziz Zerouali
• MRC’s Data and Information System for Water Resources Management - Dr. An Pich Hatda
• Presentacion Mr. Carlos Eduardo Nascimento Alencastre
• European Union Water Initiative Plus for the Eastern Partnership Countries: EUWI+East - M. Edgar Pirumyan
• Stratégies des ONG pour le partage des connaissances sur l’eau et une meilleure gestion du service de l’eau - Dr. Morgane Anziani-Vente

Session N° 4: "cooperation": Hydro-diplomacy, international and transboundary cooperation for water security

• Gestion participative et intégrée des Ressources en Eau - M. Abdelmajid Naimi
• Partage des bénéfices : Gestion des ouvrages communs dans le bassin du fleuve Sénégal - Dr Mamadou II Diaby
• Expérience de l’Autorité du Bassin du Niger - M. Abderahim Bireme Hamid

The intervention of the Executive Secretary of OSS

Session N° 5: "Funding of water security"

• Financing Water Security in Africa - M. Francis Daniel BOUGAIRE
• Presentation of Fatma BEN FADHL
• Lessons from Ghana’s Experience and Policy Direction on Financing Water Security - Hon. Michael Yaw Gyato

More information

• Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Water Management Organizations (NWO EECCA): activity over 2017-2019 - Viktor A.Dukhovniy, Merzlikina Iuliia B.
• RIOB - INBO – RIOC 25 years – années - años 1994-2019 - Jean-François Donzier
• The 11th INBO World General Assembly: https://www.riob.org/en/events/11th-inbo-world-general-assembly
• Access the presentations delivered during the 11th INBO: https://www.riob.org/fr/agenda/11eme-assemblee-generale-mondiale-du-riob