Dakar: The Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Senegal, Dr. Safwat Ibraghith,  along with the Secretary-General of the High Commission of the Organization of Senegal, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, opened the specialized program in the management of trans boundary water resources organized by the UN Committee for the Protection of Inalienable Palestinian Rights and the Government of Senegal. Palestine participates with a team formed by the Water Authority, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Quality Authority, to benefit from the rich experience of the State of Senegal in the management and development of shared water resources, represented in the River Senegal, which is shared by four countries from the African continent ,in addition to the Palestinian experience in the management of water facilities under the Israeli occupation and control over water resources, this program was held on the threshold of holding the ninth World Water Forum in 2021, which hosted by Senegal and is considered an important event to take the platform to reflect the different experiences and methods of work with regard to water resources.

At the beginning of his speech, Ambassador Ibraghith referred to the special relationship between the Government of Senegal and Palestine, and Senegal's position in support of the just cause of the Palestinian people and their right to establish their independent state.

The Ambassador also stressed the importance of this visit because it is related to discussing the best methods and practices for managing the extended water resources by examining the experience of the Senegal River and visiting several water sources and the Senegalese experience in its management and plans to face the various climate changes.

For his part, Mr. Mamadou Diaby talked about the experience of the State of Senegal in the management of the water basin, which was able to achieve many achievements while facing many challenges and obstacles to meet the multiple needs of the population living in the Senegal Basin, where many programs have been implemented, include integrated water resources management, dams and navigation, and riverbed cleaning.

 For his part, the representative of the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Youssef Gamra, expressed his greatly welcome to the Palestinian delegation, pointing out that Senegal today receives the Palestinian delegation coming from a country living  in special geopolitical and water conditions, and they are more aware of the challenges associated with water and its impact on the people, so we are here to make the best use of available resources  to ensure their sustainability and availability to people in the future.

The Deputy Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pointed to the active role of the Government of Senegal in the UN Committee. This program is part of its efforts to exchange experiences. Senegal seeks to highlight its unique experience in the field of trans boundary waters with a view to sharing water resources, which is a model of cooperation among people in the face of water and environmental challenges as well as the challenge of food security.

The meeting included a range of aspects related to the development of the Senegal River and its legal and institutional framework, as well as the role of the African Network of River Basins Organizations in this aspect, and addressed the social and cultural dimension of challenges and interactions between river communities in the Senegal River.