Equal Access to Water Rights Session at WPJ MENA Rule of Law Conference

The World Justice Project (WJP) held its first major Conference in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region on June 25-26, 2010, in Ifrane, Morocco. Over 150 regional leaders from a breadth of disciplines convened to address Rule of Law issues relevant to the MENA region and to raise awareness concerning the impact that the Rule of Law has on all aspects of the community. This multidisciplinary, action-oriented Conference represents a distinct opportunity to promote interdisciplinary understanding of Access to Justice Challenges, to incubate sustainable actions, and to have long-lasting impact in the region.

With the convergence of an unparalleled number of regional leaders, the MENA conference represented an unprecedented opportunity to encourage regional commitment to rule of Law, promote interdisciplinary understanding of Rule of Law and Access to Justice issues in the broadest sense (legal, political, social, and economic); and develop the cross-fertilization of different ideas among participants through the prism of national, regional, and international standards.

Equal Access to Water Rights Session was Moderated by Dr. Walid Saleh, Regional Coordinator, MENA, United Nations University-Institute on Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH), UAE, and Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, Information Manager, EMWIS Technical Unit, Euro Mediterranean Water Information System, France, acted as the Reporter. Dr. Saleh as a moderator for the working session on “Equal Access to Water Rights,” led the group’s discussion to develop multidisciplinary action plans to strengthen the Rule of Law in this issue area. Equal access to water rights is a global issue which has immediate relevance for the Middle East and North Africa region. The implications of an effective partnership system which not only serves local communities but provides for regional needs are truly cataclysmic. This working session brought together leading stakeholders – including business, government, academics, and civil society – in concerted efforts to strengthen fair regulatory systems, share best practices, and ensure effective service delivery.

Key Rule of Law Identified Issues were:

1. Harmonization of MENA water laws: Water laws toolkit;
2. Good water resource governance;
3. Training on water law issues;
4. Raising water awareness and promote access to water as a human right issue;
5. Negotiation skills on transboundary waters.

For further information; please contact Dr. Walid Saleh at salehw@inweh.unu.edu, or Dr. Jauad El Kharraz at jauad.el-kharraz@semide.org

Contact information	Dr. Walid Saleh, UNU-INWEH / Dr. Jauad El Kharraz, EMWIS (email: salehw@inweh.unu.edu ; jauad.el-kharraz@semide.org)
News type	Inbrief
File link	http://www.mena2010wjp.org/
File link local	Equal Access to Water Rights.1.doc (DOC, 183 Kb)
Source of information	The World Justice Project (WJP)
Keyword(s)	rule of law, water right, right to water, water governance, water law, transboundary waters, human right
Subject(s)	POLICY-WATER POLICY AND WATER MANAGEMENT , RIGHT
Relation	http://www.worldjusticeproject.org/opportunity-fund/
Geographical coverage	Morocco, Jordan, Bahrain, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, Mauritania, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Sudan,
News date	22/07/2010