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Rabat – Morocco’s Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka has highlighted the necessity of “hydro-diplomacy” for preserving peace and managing water resources.
Hydro-diplomacy relates to international agreements around the sharing and preservation of water resources. It “constitutes a tool of anticipation in the service of peace” as shared water resources build bridges of “peace, fraternity, and solidarity,” said the Moroccan minister on the sidelines of the World Water Forum in Dakar.
Thus, he argued that hydro-diplomacy plays a vital role in establishing good management of water resources under the framework of the UN resolution 63/124 that calls for bilateral and regional cooperation in the overseeing of transboundary aquifers.
This form of diplomacy facilitates the assessment and monitoring of water resources between technicians and prevents the militarization of water-related conflicts, leading to “win-win conventions,” Baraka emphasized.
He underlined the vitality of water, noting the reliance of rural populations on the commodity, as it directly influences their living conditions and incomes – particularly through agricultural production.
The livelihood of these communities is thus impacted by the worsening effects of climate change. With 46% of Earth’s surface covered by shared river basins and lakes, water remains the most shared resource as well as a potential source of conflict between upstream and downstream countries.
Read Also: Nizar Baraka: Morocco Will Lose 30% of Water Resources by 2050
The issues of shared basins and water resources are close to home as Africa is the motherland of numerous shared water resources, said the minister.
Illustrating his argument, Baraka provided examples of the Senegal and Volta rivers as well as Africa’s second-longest water stream, the Congo river.
The three water resources are shared by dozens of countries, requiring the involved stakeholders to define “the most appropriate management methods for these basins,” added the minister.
Baraka further underlined that water-sharing concerns groundwater as well, providing the example of the Nubian aquifer shared by Egypt, Chad, Sudan, and Libya.
Recalling Morocco’s experience in water management, Baraka highlighted the country’s commitment to hydro-diplomacy as a tool to “establish shared management of this rare commodity between the brothers of our African continent.”
In Dakar, Minister Baraka attended the general assembly of the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) on tuesday. Since October 2019, Morocco has been chairing the network after hosting the International Summit for Water Security in Marrakech.
In 2000, Morocco and the World Water Council co-funded Hassan II Great World Water Prize. Awarded every three years during the World Water Forum opening ceremony, the prize celebrates projects that work on water security and sustainable management of water resources.
This year’s prize went to the Organization for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS).
