The 9th World Water Forum was officially opened on Monday 21 March 2022 in Diaminadio, near Dakar, by President Macky Sall, President of Senegal and current Chairman of the African Union, on the theme: water security for peace and development.
More than 2000 participants from all over the world attended the ceremony in the presence of the Heads of State of Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso; Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló; Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde; Mauritania, Mohammed Ould Ghazouani and the Presidents of the World Bank, David Malpass and the World Water Council, Loic Fauchon.
Water covers about 70% of the planet, i.e. about 1.4 billion km³. This is why the Earth is often referred to as the blue planet. Of all this water, 97.2% is salt water and only 2.8% is fresh water, making it difficult for some people to access easily.
“More than 2 billion people in the world are currently suffering from water scarcity and this figure is likely to increase with the adverse effects of climate change. We must act now to ensure peace and development for our future generations,” said H.E. Macky SALL during his speech.
“We call on the international community to set up a blue fund to help prevent the extreme shocks imposed by climate change, with long droughts and unpredictable floods that plague people around the world,” said Loic Fauchon, President of the World Water Council.
In this gloomy picture, some organisations in West Africa stand out for their innovative water management, namely the Organisation for the Development of the Senegal River (OMVS), which is the winner of this year's Hassan II World Water Prize, which is awarded at each edition of the forum to a moral or physical person who has distinguished himself or herself in water management to serve as an example to others. OMVS received a trophy and a cheque for 500 thousand US dollars
FAO shares its results on water management for agricultural development
As the main sponsor of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Equipment of Senegal (MAER), FAO is actively participating in the 9th Water Forum to share its know-how and innovations in water management for agricultural development. A well-equipped stand run by its experts is regularly visited by Forum participants.
The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment of Senegal, Moussa Baldé, and his collaborators were keen to visit the FAO stand to discover the main results and innovations of the UN agency, which remains the best resource and knowledge centre for better water management for agricultural development.
After the opening ceremony, the President of the Republic of Senegal, Macky Sall, visited many booths, including that of FAO, to support the institutions present but also to touch their know-how in water management.
The presence of the FAO at the 9th Water Forum will also be punctuated by the sharing of results during the panels that it is organising or in which it will take part.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of FAO Regional Office for Africa.
Source: Apo-Opa
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