From 2008-05-25 to 2008-05-27

Venue: Tripoli, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Summary:
In Tripoli in 1999 and 2002 the General Water Authority of Libya and UNESCO, in coordination with the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS), convened two major conferences devoted to the identification of shared aquifer resources in Africa. The first marked a milestone in the discussion of the emerging concept of regional aquifers and was also instrumental in launching the UNESCO International Shared Aquifer Resources Management Initiative (ISARM). The second conference focused more specifically on the features of African aquifers shared by one or more states. Subsequent to this, the Government of Libya decided to establish the Regional Centre for the Management of Shared Groundwater Resources. The centre will operate under the auspices of UNESCO and aims to strengthen capacity on groundwater resources management in the region.

A third Tripoli conference, focusing once again on the needs of Africa, will aim to take the ISARM initiative one stage further. This will include providing support for the sub regional ISARM expert networks which have been developing actions in the South African Development Community (SADC) and West Africa, drawing on suggestions made in the ISARM Framework Document (2000). The conference will therefore consider the formulation of inputs and recommendations for the Regional Centre in order to develop a plan of action supporting both the current as well as the new African Expert Groups. The scope of the Conference will also include the establishment of a Plan of Action for shared aquifer systems resources management in Africa as a whole. This will provide support to both the African Union and the African Ministerial Council on Water.

This conference will be a contribution towards the implementation of the Seventh Phase (2008-2013) of UNESCO’s International Hydrological Programme (IHP) and to the 5th World Water Forum that will be held in Istanbul in March 2009.

Organizers: General Water Authority of Libya; UNESCO/IHP; Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS)
Contact Name: Mr Holger Treidel
E-mail: h.treidel@unesco.org
URL: http://www.unesco.org/water/ihp/pdf/isarm_tripoli_2008.pdf