"Postponed to December 1-2": Regional Knowledge Network on Water (RKNOW) regional conference: Towards effective implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in Arab region

Context and objectives

In the Arab region, water scarcity due to climate aridity and strong growth in demand is exacerbated by climate change and the difficult transition to democracy. In this context, the authorities have implemented various hydraulic solutions, sometimes gigantic, but in fact insufficient or unsustainable. The adoption of IWRM approaches in recent decades has led to important institutional and regulatory reforms, but concrete results are still lacking.

Arab societies that have evolved along the desert with their historical adaptations to water scarcity are now seriously challenged to demonstrate their resilience. In this perspective, future-oriented and not backward looking, surely there are important achievements to communicate, to share, to capitalize and reproduce to increase resilience. Such achievements must represent successful solutions based on systemic approaches, integrating aspirations for water security and challenges of food and energy security, in a framework of governance where local communities, civil society, local municipalities, as well as educational and research institutions, are playing their role jointly with public and private sectors.

Within this objective, RKNOW project has launched a regional initiative to promote knowledge sharing and implementation of Systemic Approaches to Water Resources Management. RKNOW project, co-funded by European Union under the ENPI special measure for a Neighborhood Civil Society Facility, is a 3 year regional project coordinated by IUCN-ROWA (Jordan) with partnership of Abdelmalek Essaâdi University from Morocco, CEDARE from Egypt, Palestinian Hydrology Group from Palestine, SPNL from Lebanon, AWO from Jordan, and support of SEMIDE-EMWIS from France and IUCN-GWP from Switzerland. RKNOW is structured around the four thematic areas: Water Governance, Water-Food-Energy Nexus, Sustainable Water Technologies, and Water and Climate Change.

The overall objective of the International Workshop " Towards effective implementation of integrated water management in Arab region ", to be held in Tangier-Tetouan on December 1st-2nd, 2015, is to strengthen networking and knowledge sharing between different stakeholders, with specific focus on :

-        Identify priorities in water management and governance from national and international perspectives

-        Share best practices in water management and governance at local level

-        Develop local municipalities, civil society and research institutes engagement, capacities building and knowledge sharing in water management and governance

Participants:

The workshop will gather more than 25 participants from Morocco in addition to RKNOW partners and international experts.

Expected Outputs

1)     Exchange knowledge and information about water management and governance

2)     Drive further stakeholder engagement, capacities building and knowledge sharing in water management and governance

3)     Agreement on water management and governance priorities and the role of educational and research institutes, civil society, local municipalities and media

4)     Set action plan for sustaining RKNOW partnership

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Tentative  Agenda :

Day 1 :

• Session 1 : priorities in water management and governance from national and international projects