April 11^th 2013 - The European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, has expressed the potential of addressing the water, food and energy nexus in the new European Union development policy under consideration. Speaking when he received the AMCOW President and Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Dr Mohamed Bahaa el-Din Saad, in his office Wednesday April 10th 2013, Commissioner Piebalgs reiterated the importance of the nexus in the overall development framework.

AMCOW President Dr Bahaa Saad had briefed Commissioner Piebalgs, also a member of the UN High Level Panel on post-MDG agenda over the Africa consultations on water in the post 2015 development agenda.  He sought the support of the Commissioner and that of the European Commission (EC) in pushing the importance of having water as a stand-alone goal in the post-MDG agenda as well as placing priority on the resource in the EU Africa relations and development agenda for the next five years.

The AMCOW President was accompanied by the Executive Secretary, Bai Mass Taal and Technical Advisory Committee Chair/Co-Chair of the European Union Water Initiative Africa Working Group, Engr. Nehal Adel Mohammed. Dr Saad informed the Commissioner that with the designation of AMCOW as a Specialized Technical Committee of the African Union, AMCOW Secretariat has continued to witness an expansion of its role and activities. He therefore called on the EC to consider supporting the strengthening of the AMCOW Secretariat’s capacity to enable AMCOW fulfil its growing mandate.

Commissioner Piebalgs expressed the expectation that the Commission will continue its cooperation with AMCOW within the planned new Africa-EU relations framework. He however stated that for water to be considered a top priority in the framework requires that African Governments accord such top level consideration to water issues in their bilateral negotiations with the EU. He equally emphasized that the potential for greater engagement in water-related activities in the regional context required strengthened commitment by relevant regional organisations.

The AMCOW President had presented the EC Commissioner with two AMCOW publications “Africa Water Atlas” and “Water Resources Management in Africa” published with financial support from the EU.

March 22nd 2013 – On the occasion of the World Water Day, the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) has restated support for Africa's call for the adoption of a distinct water goal in the post 2015 development agenda. An Africa Wide Stakeholders Forum on Water on the Post 2015 development agenda which met in Tunis on March 1st 2015 had proposed the adoption of “Water Secure World for All by 2030” in the global post 2015 development  goals.

The demand has been endorsed at the African Union led Africa Post 2015 Dialogue with Stakeholders convened in conjunction with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), and the African Development Bank (AfDB) from March 11 – 12 2013 in Tunis.

Presenting the Africa position at a High Level Forum hosted by the Government of Netherlands to mark the global celebration of the World Water Day, AMCOW Executive Secretary, Bai Mass Taal stressed that the request rose out of the need to guarantee water security for universal access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene; for food and energy security; and for peace and cooperation in trans boundary and coastal waters management.

The participants at the African wide stakeholders’ forum on water organized by AMCOW in collaboration with the AUC and AfDB gave pertinent reasons why the post 2015 development agenda should prioritize water to include:

• Access to clean water and sanitation is prerequisite for healthy human living and has direct impact on the wellbeing and productivity of the population as well as sustaining freshwater eco systems.
• Sustainable and equitable economic development and poverty reduction have water as a pre-requisite.
• Water and sanitation are human rights and increasingly widely recognised as such.
• Water is essential for ensuring food and energy security, which in turn can only be achieved if the cross sectorial inter linkages are taken into account.
• Water resources management is a key instrument for mitigating the impacts of the currently Climate Change and Variability.

Download outcomes of the Tunis Post 2015 Water Consultations