The overall objective of the dialogue is to induce an effective consideration of groundwater in national and regional water management (at state, regional integration organizations, river basin organizations), in paying particular attention to transboundary aquifers.
To start on a solid consensual basis and touch the real priorities of stakeholders, a regional meeting on groundwater, including policies and practices taking into account climate-related issues, with particular emphasis on transboundary aquifers was considered necessary following the various consultations undertaken by the GWP / WA with the Global Environment Facility (GEF), various UN agencies (UNEP, UNESCO, FAO), the Sahara and Sahel (OSS), the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as regional and sub-regional organisations (WRCC / ECOWAS, CILSS CREPA, UEMOA , Water Agencies).
The Dialogue project is supported by the African Ministerial Council on Water (AMCOW), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA), CILSS and UEMOA among others.
The workshop will be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 26 and 27 October 2011. Partners who sponsored the preparation and holding of this meeting are the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa through the African Centre for Policy on Climate Change (ACPC), the West Africa Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), the FAO regional office based in Accra, CREPA, and the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and the UNESCO and UNEP.
The workshop turned around five themes:
- The scientific and technical state of knowledge on groundwater resources;
- Identification of major environmental, and socioeconomic issues of the aquifers;
- Dialogue: defining national and cross-border priorities vis-à-vis groundwater;
- Management and Institutional, Legal and Policy framework;
- And finally the development and strengthening of skills and adaptability / resilience.
A preparatory study whose results were presented was conducted by a team of Consultants on:
- The state of knowledge and management of groundwater in Senegal, Mali & Niger;
- Climate change and its impacts on groundwater;
- Key initiatives relating to groundwater in the West African sub-region - the experiences of good practice in other parts of the groundwater management.
