Tunisia - Institutions and Participation

Action 5 - Regularly conduct a structured dialogue with water users and citizens

The Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries (MARHP), through the Directorate General for Water Resources (DGRE), has led a process to develop an Action Plan (PAGIRE) to strengthen its Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) from June 2022 to March 2023. This process was facilitated by the Global Water Partnership for the Mediterranean (GWP-Med), through the SDG 6 IWRM Support Programme. A Task Force was set up to steer the development of the Action Plan, guide the consultation process and examine and comment on the outline of the Action Plan before it was presented to the stakeholders for discussion and validation. The consultation process brought together 85 representatives of the various ministerial departments and structures involved in water resource management within the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Equipment and Territorial Planning, at both central and regional level, the National Institute of Meteorology, the National Centre for Cartography and Remote Sensing, professional and civil society organisations, representatives from academia and independent experts. The result is an IWRM Action Plan (PAGIRE) consisting of 13 actions to strengthen IWRM implementation, providing a framework for advancing coherence and synergy in government action on water resources management. The following action is part of the PAGIRE. 

The action focuses on conducting regular and structured dialogue between government and water users and citizens. It includes capacity building and outreach activities for citizens’ users’ organisations, the identification of information needs through extensive surveys. Bases on the results of the survey, the action will include the design ofappropriate information sharing platforms and mechanisms and a communication strategy. The action includes also the development of an advocacy campaign to allocate required funds for the dialogue from the National Budget. Finally, it includes the establishment of a dialogue mechanism between the government and civil society. 

IWRM Dimension: Institutions and Participation
SDG 6.5.1 Question: 2.1c. Public participation - national
Level: National
Status of action: Awaiting funding
Related SDG Goal: - 6.5 Integrated water resources management & transboundary cooperation, - 6.B WASH local participation
Budget for action:: 2 Mio. DT
Responsible Agency: BPEH
Timeline for implementation: 2 years