Dubai (Etihad)
The Republic of Guinea, which is nicknamed the “Water Tower of West Africa”, organized the “Water Management Across Borders” conference, during the “Water Week”, hosted by “Expo 2020 Dubai” and concluded yesterday. The conference highlighted the importance of cooperation between river countries around the world in managing transboundary water resources in order to ensure access for all peoples to clean and safe water, and to alleviate acute stress levels on water resources in many geographical regions, including the Middle East. Fatoumata Konde, Deputy Commissioner-General of the Guinean Pavilion, said: “The fair and equal sharing of water across rivers flowing through multiple countries is an issue of political and economic importance. For countries in the Middle East region that suffer from acute water stress, sharing water is not an ordinary task, but rather a matter of survival.” The Middle East is second only to Africa in terms of the large presence of rivers flowing across many borders, which constitute 60% of the region’s water supply. In the case of Africa, 90% of the rivers and lakes on the continent are transboundary.
transboundary waters
The conference, moderated by Guinea, saw the participation of key international stakeholders in the field of transboundary water management and sustainability under one roof, including experts from the European Union, the Mekong River Commission and the Niger River Basin Authority, along with a cohort of thought leaders from Jordan, Costa Rica and Australia.
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