For having conducted several works on the subject, Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane has been selected as the national partner for the capacity-building programme on water integrity in the MENA region for the 2014-2017 period, indicates a press release from this university establishment. "This project falls within the framework of research and development activities conducted by the university and its openness to the socio-economic world and civil society," declares Dr. Ahmed Legrouri, professor of environmental sciences at Al Akhawayn University, cited by the same source. He adds that "The selection comes following the project launched by Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane, on 'integrity in the field of water', carried out in response to the international call for tenders from the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)."
In order to meet these challenges, SIWI has launched a capacity-building programme in the field of integrity in water resource management, through the assessment of risks related to this subject. It is in this context that Al Akhawayn University of Ifrane is conducting, in consultation with the various national actors working in the field of water, a national study aimed at identifying the main risks to water integrity. A first initiative of this project consists of a consultation and sharing workshop.
This workshop will take place on 5 September 2014 at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane. Its objective is to present the project to water managers and users, to identify the role of each stakeholder in water management, and to engage in open reflection with all actors concerned by the management of water resource use.
In mid-August, Al Akhawayn University launched, in partnership with the University of Minnesota (USA) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a project entitled "Integrating ecosystem services into sectoral and macroeconomic policies". Through this work, Moroccan and American scientists are seeking to develop an index that serves to estimate the contribution of ecosystems to the formation of national wealth. Does such an index already exist? To this question, Doctor Ahmed Driouchi replies that there are attempts in different countries. "In Morocco, we could do better by including the various government departments and universities in order to channel the analyses. Currently, our efforts are focused on the water sector. It is a work that is only just beginning. The results of this seminar will be our working basis next year."
