The 13th Ordinary Session of the General Assembly (GA) of the governing council of African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) will be hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt in Cairo next month.

The overarching goal of the meeting is to consider, guide the formulation, pursuit of AMCOW aspirations and ongoing interventions such as mobilizing active involvement of the Member States and partners in the formulation of the post 2025 Africa water vision, as well as advocating cooperation in managing water resources through multi-sectoral approaches and water-energy-food-ecosystem perspectives.

The GA will also be raising its profile and increasing awareness of the value of water, as the most precious resource for life and key to climate change adaptation and resilience. The assembly also presents a platform for setting a biennial agenda for the water and sanitation sector in Africa by the council of ministers. The principles of a bottom-up-top-down approach will be applied to adopt continental policy initiatives informed by Member States’ priorities at national and regional level.

Similarly, ownership of these initiatives is demonstrated by their domestication for implementation at the appropriate level. It is in this regard that the council executes its mandate as the working group on water and sanitation of the Africa Union’s specialized technical committee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (ARDWE).

Expected outcome would guide cooperative action in the management of Africa’s water resources to support continent-wide aspirations for social transformation, economic growth, regional integration, peace and security, application of information and knowledge resources to promote best practices in water policy reforms, as well as water, food and energy security.

The council would also agree on transboundary water resources management and water services provision; initiatives and action on studies on climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as the development of policies and strategies for the mitigation and management of water related disaster risks.

AMCOW plans to strengthen mechanisms to assure commensurate financial flows to the sector to deliver on continental and global commitments to achieve water and sanitation goals in Africa.