Financing water related adaptation Projects for the implementation of NDCs and SDGs: Challenges, perspectives and Opportunities

The 9 countries of the Arab Maghreb Union and Group 5 Sahel discussing the challenges, perspectives and opportunities for financing water related adaptation projects for the implementation of NDCs and SDGs in Nouakchott – 24-25th April 2018

The regional conference on “Financing water related adaptation Projects for the implementation of NDCs and SDGs: Challenges, perspectives and Opportunities” in Mauritania brought together 60 participants representing the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) and G5 Sahel (G5S) countries, namely Algeria, Burkina Faso, Libya, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Tunisia as well as regional organization and donors.

The aim of the Regional Conference was to support the acceleration of the implementation of water-related adaptation actions within the framework of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) to ensure water security and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the region’s countries. More specifically, the conference aimed to:

Consolidate countries' knowledge of tools and approaches for assessing impacts and vulnerabilities to CC and to prioritize adaptation actions,
Share experiences and good practices in the design and implementation of co-benefits projects (adaptation & mitigation) in the water sector,
Disseminate information on funding opportunities to support the implementation of the countries commitments defined in the NDCs and SDGs.

The conference was organized by the regional partners of the Global Water Partnership respectively for the Mediterranean (GWP-Med) , West Africa (GWP-WA) and Central Africa (GWP-CAf) jointly with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the United Nations Children's Fund - Office for West and Central Africa (UNICEF WAC) and the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture Multi-Country Office for the Maghreb (UNESCO) in collaboration with the National Center for Water Resources - Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation in Mauritania (CNRE) and the Mauritanian National Commission for Education, Culture and Science (CNECS).

The opening ceremony was ensured by a High Level Panel composed by H.E. Yahya Ould Abd Dayem - Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, H.E. Mohamed Lemine Ould Cheik - Minister of Culture and Handicrafts and spokesperson of the Mauritanian Government, Mr. Mohamed Ould Abdallahi Salem Ould Ahmed Doua - Secretary General of the Ministry of Hydraulics and Sanitation, M. Musbah Almaghour, Head of the Food Security Department at AMU, M. M. Guidio Kouldjim, Resilience expert at G5S as well high-level representatives of the organizing partners.

His Excellence M. Yahya Ould Abd Dayem, the Minister of Hydraulics and Sanitation, Opened officially on the 24th Aprilr 2018 the activities of this regional conference in Mauritania.

In his opening speech, H.E. Yahya Ould Abd Dayem stressed the importance of the conference to share regional experiences on the implementation of NDCs and adaption projects in particular in the water sector. He added that Mauritania is experiencing significant development not only limited to the water supply of rural localities but also for the benefit of isolated areas in the desert while it continues increasing its efforts towards achieving the goals of sustainable development, and to improve adaption of water sector against the effects of climate change.

Over two days, the participants have exchanged their experiences in many themes related to the implementation of NDC, SDG and adaptation projects in the water field and the access to climate finance. The discussions focused mainly on the following themes:

The national and regional initiatives and processes to promote NDCs and SDGs implementation at country and basin level
The mechanisms to improve the evaluation of climate change risks and the needs to better adapt water sector and achieve the SDGs
Ensuring water security and climate resilience: what investments for which adaptation projects in the water sector
Sharing experiences on adaptation measures and water related projects
The Involvement of youth on water security and climate resilience
The challenges and opportunities to finance NDCs and SGDs implementation

The sharing of experiences enabled the participating countries to understand the steps needed to accelerate the NDCs and SDGs implementation including the access to financing through the climate funds such as the Africa NDC Hub of the African Development Bank, the Green Climate Fund etc. Recommendations and follow-up actions were identified and prioritized at the end of the conference.

Dr. Sarra Touzi, Senior Programme Officer at the Global Water Partnership Mediterranean shared these recommendations with the High Level Panel participating to the closing session while confirming the engagement of the organizers to assist the countries on the follow-up of these recommendations.

Mr. Mohamed Ould-Abdallah Al-Salem Ould Ahmedoua, General Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, highlighted that the recommendations issued by the conference will contribute to the development of a clear vision for the region to enhance climate resilience in the water sector.

The closing ceremony was attended by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Handicraft, Dr. Ahmed Ould Abah ould Sid Ahmed, the Secretary General of the National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, Dr. Ismail Ould Shoaib, M. Cheikh Zamel, the General Director of the National Water Resources centre, M. Musbah Almaghour, Head of the Food Security Department at AMU, and representatives of the conference organizers.