On 20 and 21 June 2024, the first series of dialogues dealing with “water diplomacy” was held in Tunis for stakeholders in the Medjerda catchment area, ranging from directorates representing the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Equipment, research institutions and non-governmental organisations on the Tunisian side.

This series of workshops follows on from the recommendations made at the official launch in 2023 of phase 5 of the BRIDGE programme, which included the Medjerda basin among its working basins (2022-2026), on the need to build the capacity of Tunisian stakeholders in terms of effective basin management, improve inter-institutional cooperation and water diplomacy. 

This workshop is the first in a series of dialogues on water diplomacy, an initiative that will run from 2024 to 2025 and aims to :

• Examine the development, principles, agreements and institutions for the governance of shared basins.
• Provide guidance on the key issues to be considered in the development and reform of policies and laws relating to freshwater ecosystems, particularly in the context of the impacts of climate change.
• Promote a better understanding of these issues among governments and other stakeholders working in and/or involved in water governance and management in Tunisia.

BRIDGE provides a framework for dialogue and learning about catchment basin diplomacy

Over the course of two days, more than twenty participants with different profiles, representing the directorates in charge of water management and the preservation of hydraulic ecosystems, were introduced to the founding principles of water diplomacy.

Participants were able to explore the body of legal rules of international water law contained in the arrangements and instruments relating to the governance of transboundary basins. Exploring the legal basis for the governance of shared waters gave participants an opportunity to appreciate the importance of these rules for maintaining peaceful relations, sustainable management and the preservation of water resources.

Moreover, the flexibility of international water law is a major asset for States in choosing and developing agreements and designing institutions that are appropriate to the specific characteristics of shared waters, including those of the Medjerda basin.

Thanks to the expertise of BRIDGE, the participants were also able to discover lessons learned and examples of basin-wide governance arrangements from around the world.

Following this exchange, the participants were invited to reflect on the challenges and opportunities for cooperation in the conservation and sustainable use of the Medjerda basin by devising a governance model for successful water diplomacy.

The BRIDGE programme and the Medjerda basin

The BRIDGE programme (Building River Dialogue and Governance), funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, consolidates the knowledge and expertise of the previous phases to mobilise the main negotiation processes underway, where IUCN acts as a dialogue facilitator to promote transboundary agreements at several scales and build institutional capacity in terms of governance of shared waters.

Over the past decade, IUCN and its partners have implemented transboundary water governance and dialogue through BRIDGE in more than twenty river and lake basins around the world.

The Medjerda basin is one of the most important in the Maghreb in terms of freshwater supply. It originates in north-eastern Algeria and flows eastwards to the Gulf of Tunis. The availability of freshwater, due to permanent flows in most of the river, has paved the way for intensive agriculture in its main floodplains – a key socio-economic sector in Tunisia. The Medjerda basin also supplies drinking water to over 40% of Tunisia’s population.

In terms of institutions, governance and cross-border cooperation, a number of challenges and opportunities for improvement are expected to be addressed in the basin through joint work with stakeholders from both countries.

For more information

https://waterandnature.scienseed.com/all-initiatives/northern-africa/

www.waterandnature.org/initiatives/bridge

www.waterlawandgovernance.org/bridge/

If you would like to know more about BRIDGE, our work and opportunities for collaboration, please contact one of our BRIDGE coordinators in your region, or use the contact details below. Contact: Catherine Numa, Catherine.numa@iucn.org