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Horn of Africa
joint regional study on appraising climate desalinating water, current reverse Regional Learning Events: The HoA GW4R
risks and their effects on groundwater osmosis installations with solar panels or program delivers, through IGAD and
resources in the HoA. This will lead to photovoltaic reverse osmosis sites, enhanced with the support of CIWA’s
development of a joint knowledge base bottlenecks for introduction and technical expertise, two regional events
on climate variability effects on proliferation of desalination technologies, per year to share knowledge, address
transboundary aquifers and regional and guidelines for identifying safe common project implementation
collaboration through data integration groundwater sources in high-salinity challenges, reach agreements on regional
and knowledge sharing. With CIWA settings. Because of technical capacity activities, and expand regional
support, experts are helping with quality issues and high capital and operational collaboration and coordination functions
control of the terms of reference and costs in poor remote rural contexts, local for groundwater management. The events
providing technical guidance to IGAD and application of desalination at the (two in Kenya and one in Ethiopia) have
country teams leading this activity. community level is challenging. The facilitated agreements on a data-sharing
guideline on decision making with high protocol on groundwater, getting feedback
Based on the outcomes of these salinity sources is being used to inform site on IGAD-implemented activities, bringing
completed knowledge products, the selection. new knowledge in the form of innovations in
World Bank, through CIWA support, the region for rural water supply delivery,
signed a contract in February 2024 World Bank Engagements in discussing and agreeing on the way
with the UNDP Borderlands Center that Transboundary Aquifers: Lessons forward on project implementation
includes an MoU with UNICEF and Learned, Challenges, & Way Forward bottlenecks, and improving communication
UNESCO to enhance the learning (internal hybrid event), August 2023: and coordination.
agenda for the HoA GW4R program. This session was organized during Water
This collaborative effort seeks to Week 2023 and shared lessons learned
maximize the impact of the GW4R from program design during previous
program by addressing key knowledge activities involving transboundary
and capacity gaps, strengthening project aquifer development and management
monitoring in remote areas, and that can inform the design of similar
enhancing technical support at
sub-national and local levels, with operations to improve program
particular emphasis in FCV areas. The implementation. Knowledge sharing
work is structured around three pillars: i) included recommendations on
enhancement of the HoA Groundwater institutional and legal aspects, information
Data Hub, supported by UNESCO, and data sharing, and technical and
centers on HoA data collection for the procurement considerations to inform the
groundwater information system, design of a transboundary pilot
long-term regional data sharing, capacity (Dhobley-Liboi in Kenya and Somalia).
building of the IGAD Groundwater
Center, and knowledge dissemination; ii) The Groundwater Capacity
applied research to strengthen the Development Program in Somalia: The
GW4R implementation, supported by program aims to strengthen the
UNICEF, will enhance understanding of capacity and technical knowledge of
the drilling market and rural water supply key project staff in Somalia. It will be
management models including social adapted and replicated in other GW4R
and fragility dimensions; and iii) capacity countries. The learning modules will be
building and application of lessons translated into Somali, recorded as
learned in project implementation, led by videos, and uploaded on a
the UNDP, focuses on project distance-learning platform in 2024. The
implementation support at the local level training program provides a
and in remote fragile areas. comprehensive primer on how to develop
and manage groundwater in the HoA,
Component 2: Enhanced including hydrogeology, water
institutional capacity on governance, planning, and community
groundwater management water management, and complements
Addressing the Groundwater Salinity the institutional strengthening activities
Crisis in the Horn of Africa (virtual), embedded in the GW4R program to build
February 2024: The project conducted a the capacity of the Ministry of Energy and
webinar on different methodologies for Water Resources.
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