Bahrain to host Arab water governance meeting

Bahrain will host the Arab Regional Meeting for Capacity-Building of Underground Water Governance.
The meeting will be organized by the Arabian Gulf University (AGU) in association with the Cairo-based Office of UNESCO and UN Food and Agriculture (FAO) Regional Office for Near East.

The meeting in early October is intended to assess the current situation of human and institutional capabilities at the local and national arenas regarding management of underground water and its governance in the region.

The meeting aims to establish the roadmap for development of executive capabilities to support Arab countries in their efforts to achieve the common global vision of underground water governance. It also aims to establish an innovative regional cooperation frames among the countries and stakeholders including UN agencies and the partners of development.

The meeting will focus on capabilities development, bridging the informatics gap for sustainable management and public custody over underground water resources in the Arab region, according to the coordinator of the meeting. He pointed out that several Arab countries rely more than 80% on their underground water reserves in meeting their water demand for the purpose of their socio-economic development.

The Arab region is not alone in facing such challenges regarding the management and preservation of its underground water resources. The global frame for governance of subterranean water reserves was initiated by the relevant UN bodies and the World Bank in 2016.

Source: Fana News