Events
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28-30 Apr 2020 – Asmara, Eritrea
National Conference on Climate Resilient Water Supply and Water Resources Management in Eritrea
Water Resources Development; Water Resources Monitoring; Water Resources Management. Background
Eritrea has made progress over the past few decades in improving access to water. However, significant gaps remain. Addressing these gaps is essential to the protection and well-being of communities, as well as to improving public health, reducing poverty, and advancing the social and economic development of Eritreans.
The Government of the State of Eritrea is committed to ensuring that all people enjoy enough quality water and it also gives water top priority in all development initiatives and across all ministries and sectors. According to the Eritrea Population and Health Survey 2010 (EPHS), 49.9 percent of the rural population had access to improved water supplies, compared to 72.9 per cent of the urban population, averaging 57.9 per cent nationally. The coverage of improved drinking water increased to 68.7 per cent nationally in 2018.
Eritrea also launched one of the most successful water supply initiatives during this period, investing in the large-scale development of water systems capitalizing on rainwater. Building on and sustaining the progress achieved during the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) period is critical to reaching the 2030 SDGs.
Given that Eritrea is prone to severe drought, food insecurity, increasingly extreme rainfall patterns, and higher temperatures, UNICEF is one of the partners supporting the government of Eritrea to implement climate resilient WASH interventions as part of the 2019-2030 OneWASH strategy and investment plan. WASH sector bottleneck analysis conducted in 2018 identified limited data and information on water resources potential, use, monitoring and management, and inadequate technology, innovations and products for water resources development, monitoring and management as the main challenges facing the water sector in the country.
Objective
The overall objective of the conference is to share with development partners the challenges and opportunities for WASH provision in Eritrea, strategic shifts, and resources required to achieve SDG targets related to water supply and leave on behind. Specifically, the conference seeks to achieve:
1. Share experience and knowledge on equity focus, including gender responsive, water supply and water resources management in Eritrea.
2. Create a platform for the government, UN agencies, private companies, academic and research institutions, development partners and others to explore potential collaboration and partnership to exploit, develop and monitor water resources in Eritrea,
3. Explore the possible use of innovations and technology to enhance the monitoring and development of water sources.
4. Draw key recommendations on the way forward aligned with the 2019-2030 OneWASH strategy and investment plan.
Expected outcomes
• A better understanding of the water resources potential of Eritrea and climate-resilient actions essential to the future sustainability of water sources in the country
• Strategic partnerships and collaborations initiated to develop better, monitor and manage water resources in Eritrea
• Technologies, innovations, and products identified for water resources mapping, development, monitoring, and management
If you want to attend the conference to present paper/poster, product, technology, and innovation, kindly express your interest by completing a simple form (https://tinyurl.com/s85dxq6) or write directly to ertwaterconference@unicef.org by 20 January 2020.Organised by GoSE and UNICEF Eritrea.