In accordance with the proposal put forth by the Arab ministers responsible for water affairs during their meeting at the headquarters of the League of Arab States on 16 July 2008, advocating for the establishment of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water, and in compliance with the Economic and Social Council's decision number 1743, Ordinary Session 82 on 28 August 2008 to authorise the formation of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water, the council held its inaugural meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 16 and 17 November 2008 to discuss and adopt the statute of the council.
Objectives:
The council endeavours to foster collaboration and synchronies the efforts of Arab nations, with the ultimate objective of formulating an Arab blueprint for tackling water-related challenges and bolstering water security across the region, serving as a comprehensive framework for programmes and activities spanning all facets of water resources, with a particular emphasis on the following domains:
1- Integrated Water Resources Management:
- Establishing an integrated information network pertaining to water resources that serves as a robust scientific foundation for evaluating these resources, while simultaneously developing a sophisticated database that systematically collects data and information.
- Formulating comprehensive plans for the development, investment, and forecasting of both quantitative and qualitative water systems through the application of advanced mathematical models in water resource management, and involves monitoring the execution of plans and investments in these resources by means of ongoing model calibration.
- Advocating an inclusive and collaborative approach to the drafting of national water plans, and the establishment of appropriate institutional structures.
- The council proposes effective water legislation and designs mechanisms for their implementation in order to enhance water security and sustainably manage this vital resource.
- Developing human capabilities.
2- Developing and preserving water resources in quantity and quality:
- Advancing the development of resources through the implementation of alternative technologies, such as the collection of rainwater, flood management, surface water harvesting, and the artificial replenishment of groundwater.
- Encouraging the cultivation of non-traditional water resources, including the repurposing of wastewater, agricultural drainage, treated wastewater, and desalination, while endeavouring to reduce the associated expenses.
- Preserving the integrity of water resources by safeguarding against contamination.
- Promoting scientific research in the field of water resources.
- Sustaining the upkeep and preservation of critical infrastructure.
- Water Demand Management:
- Transform water usage from areas with limited economic effectiveness to more critical and pressing areas, while maintaining the sustainability of water sources.
- Streamline water use and minimise losses across diverse applications.
- Ascertain the actual water requirements and identify opportunities for fulfilling them through alternative means.
- Develop comprehensive, short-term, medium-term, and long-term water strategies, underpinned by a legislative framework that ensures their effective implementation.
- Create an integrated plan for water resource management, leveraging a database and information to optimise irrigation efficiency.
- Optimise the use of water resources based on marginal productivity for irrigation within the production system.
- Introduce cutting-edge technologies in irrigation and other water utilisation methods to attain rational water management.
- Enhance advisory services to provide guidance and support for water management.
- Formulate requisite procedures for regulating water demand and monitoring their execution.
- Facilitating coordination among Arab countries that share common water basins to leverage their resources in a manner that fosters optimal, equitable, and just utilisation among them.
- Protecting Arab water rights:
- Enhancing Arab negotiation aptitudes by conferring access to exhaustive studies, research, legislation, laws, and information concerning common water resources with non-Arab stakeholders. Actively participating in devising international agreements advocated by pertinent organisations, in a manner that promotes Arab interests.
- Conducting a comprehensive scrutiny of extant international agreements that administer the management of shared water resources and devising efficacious institutional and legal mechanisms to ensure the safeguarding and regulation of Arab interests.
Advocate for Arab water rights in international forums dedicated to water-related issues, while simultaneously coordinating positions and strategies to advance Arab interests.
