First working group meeting on international cooperation in Senegal-Mauritania Aquifer Basin

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On 22 October 2020, a first working group meeting was held to discuss international cooperation in the Senegal-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin (SMAB). During this meeting, several deliverables were prepared by the partners with the objective of assessing the capacity, weaknesses and state of (ground)water management and international cooperation in the four member states. IGRAC presented the outcomes of the assessment of available groundwater data in the countries, as well as an assessment on the countries’ capacity to manage groundwater, with particular focus on groundwater data management. 

The states of the Senegal-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal, have engaged in a dialogue aimed at establishing transboundary cooperation on this shared water resource. This dialogue is carried out in collaboration with the main regional transboundary basin organisations, OMVG and OMVS. Supported by the Geneva Water Hub, the Secretariat of the convention on the protection and use of transboundary watercourses and international lakes, serviced by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and IGRAC who join this initiative as a strategic partner. 

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First (virtual) working group meeting
First (virtual) working group meeting

In the framework of this cooperation, a regional working group was established. The mandate of the group is to induce transboundary cooperation and to advise the SMAB states and transboundary basin organisations towards the establishment of a permanent mechanism for transboundary concerted management of the SMAB.