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.
This action is focusing on the setting up of a coordination platform with Algeria for shared waters (both groundwater and surface water), with the aim of setting up a joint management body in the medium-term. The action is building on ongoing work related to the preparation of a technical note on areas and opportunities for collaboration with Algeria and the organisation of bilateral meetings. It will furthermore focus on setting up of a joint technical committee to monitor the development of relevant studies and prepare political decisions. These studies include a Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis as well as institutional, legal and financial studies to set up transboundary cooperation mechanisms on the Medjerdariver. This will then result in the set-up of institutional and technical cooperation mechanisms. The action also includes a training of relevant stakeholders on the principles and instruments of transboundary water cooperation.
