For the establishment of a sustainable mechanism to manage the Senegalese-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin water resources

The OSS took part in the ordinary meeting of the Regional Working Group (RWG) on the Senegalese-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin (SMAB) in Budapest, Hungary, held back-to-back with the global workshop on the development of cooperation agreements on transboundary waters, November 7-10, 2023. This mission is part of the implementation of a ministerial declaration on the establishment of a sustainable mechanism for managing the SMAB water resources.

The RWG, made up of the four states sharing the basin (Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania and Senegal), as well as the OMVG (Organisation pour la mise en Valeur du Fleuve Gambie), OMVS (Organisation pour la mise en valeur du fleuve Sénégal) and OSS, met to address specific challenges related to transboundary cooperation in the region, including climate change, but also those potentially linked to different interests, the establishment of an inadequate legal framework and the strengthening of limited technical capacities, which can jeopardize equitable collaboration.

The UNECE–UNESCO report highlighted the pressing need to strengthen transboundary cooperation, showing that only 24 countries of the 153 states sharing transboundary resources have operational arrangements covering all their basins. For these challenges to be addressed, the global workshop presented the “Practical Guide for Developing Agreements or Other Arrangements for Transboundary Water Cooperation”. The main objective of this initiative was to come up with a mechanism for the sustainable and equitable management of transboundary waters, and therefore of the SMAB.

The OSS participation in these events, represented by Mr. Mohamedou Baba Sy, Water expert and project manager, aimed to contribute to the discussions on the development of transboundary agreements. Emphasis was placed on sharing experiences with a view to strengthening cooperation in the sustainable management of the SMAB waters. Besides, the OSS took part in the RWG meeting, which resulted in the development of a work plan until 2027 and a roadmap to ensure resilient management of the Senegalese-Mauritanian Aquifer Basin.