Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in the Sultanate of Oman
On 18 Rajab 1431 H, corresponding to 20 June 2011, the establishment of Arab G-WADI was announced and its Statute was approved unanimously. At the same time, the Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources in the Sultanate of Oman was asked to be the headquarters of the network.
The goals for the network are:
- Exchange water information between members of the network, allowing all to benefit from different experiences on Arab and international levels.
- Preparation and drafting proposals for implementation of some water research projects by network members and find out the required resources to implement it.
- Find channels of communication between non-governmental organizations at international level and Arab NGOs to participate in the network to ensure the active presence of Arab on the international level.
- Developing and implementing training programs to raise the efficiency of workers and specialists in the areas of network activities.
- Participating in Arab and international seminars and conferences related to the network activities.
- Raise the water and environmental awareness in the community.
- Raise the efficiency of dealing with modern technologies in the field of water resources.
A first meeting of the Secretariat of the Arab G-WADI Network was held in Muscat for two days on 28-29 January 2013, and a second one was held in association with WSTA's 11TH Gulf Water Conference 18-23 October 2014. In coordination and cooperation with the UNESCO Cairo Office, the Arab G-WADI Secretariat held the third general meeting of the Network in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman from 17-19 September 2017. In this latter meeting,the participants discussed the past performance of the network, support for the Network, strengthening the links among the members, and cooperation and coordination with other international and regional networks.
Network members also developed a list of priorities for the next several years. These included work on:
- Water-related disasters and hydrological changes, including flash flooding in wadis and the potential impacts of climate change on water resources;
- Groundwater in a changing environment, including its protection, use of traditional knowledge in water management, and managed aquifer recharge;
- Water scarcity and quality, including integrated and sustainable water resources governance, improving water use efficiency, water harvesting and the water-food-energy nexus;
- Water and human settlements in the future, including water treatment and desalination; and
- Ecohydrology and water education.
For more information, please visit our website at www.arabgwadi.om or email us at arab.g-wadi@mrmwr.gov.om.