Aboul Gheit: lack of water plays a role in triggering unrest in some Arab countries

Mr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary General of the League of Arab States, pointed out that the phenomenon of water scarcity in some Arab regions had serious social and economic manifestations and had played a role in the emergence of troubles in some Arab countries such as Syria.

This happened during Aboul Gheit 's speech today at the opening session of the Fifth Session of the General Assembly of the Arab Water Council.

Aboul Gheit said: "We have witnessed what could be the phenomenon of water shortage due to manifestations of instability, turmoil and violence." It has become clear that the season of drought, which preceded the onset of the situation in Syria and continued for years, was partly responsible for the deterioration of rural areas and the migration of hundreds of people. return to cities, causing a general state of turmoil and civil strife as well as an environment conducive to violence and recruitment of extremists. "

He pointed out that in Yemen, before the current war, there was a serious shortage of water resources and that it had undoubtedly played a role in exacerbating the suffering of the population and exacerbating the pressures social and economic

"We never forget the suffering of the Palestinians and the exposure of their underground waters and aquifers in the West Bank to the theft and looting perpetrated by the occupation authorities, who inject this looted water into the West Bank. illegal settlements built on occupied land, "he said. "In flagrant contrast, not only with international law, Humanitarian."

He stressed that the issue of water, in all its environmental, economic, social, political and strategic dimensions, remained at the heart of the challenges that the Arab world would face in the years and decades to come, stressing that the world of water, water, water, water, water, water, water, water and sanitation was a major issue. it was the question of the present and the future of the generation and that it could not be treated as a people and governments fully responsible and vigilant. And pay attention to the needs of today and those of the distant future.

He emphasized that the issue of water has a tangible place on the international agenda. There is also talk of drought and water scarcity in the future, and different coping strategies may not be able to predict the magnitude of the hazard in the future. At present, we know it will be more difficult. This will put additional pressure on the world's water resources in the face of population growth, the need for development and the search for food products.

He added: "More than all this has become a presence of power in all the discussions about water scarcity, namely climate change, which exacerbates the severity of fragile background conditions .. and makes more difficult to handle these situations .. We have seen during the recent period some of the serious manifestations resulting from Climate Change: the city of Cape Town has become the first of the major cities facing the phenomenon of lack of water for subsistence of the population .. We observed a similar phenomenon in Sao Paulo, Brazil .. All these events sounded the alarm and drew attention to the need to solve the problem by planning and preparing all the needs before we hit. "He said.

"It's no secret to all of you that the Arab region suffers from water scarcity and faces varying degrees of drought, which will increase over time due to climate change." The Arab region is experiencing also the biggest food deficit in the world. "He added:" If we add to these data the whole geopolitical factor, namely the fact that 85% of Arab water flows outside the Arab territories we will face a real challenge in the overall strategic sense. "He said.

He stressed that the role of the Arab Water Council was essential for achieving better understanding and management of water resources, stressing that the Council had been working tirelessly in recent years at the technical level, institutional, organizational, regional and international.

He stressed that Arab countries need concerted action in the field of water, be it at the strategic, political or technical level, stressing that the issue of water – although its essence is related to resource management – has political and strategic dimensions that require Arab coordination at the highest levels and at all levels.

He stressed that the secretariat of the Arab League will host in April the first joint meeting of Arab Ministers of Irrigation and Agriculture, which she describes as an important step that "reflects the complex nature the issue of water, which requires concerted efforts and coordination of work and activities, as well as full cooperation between the political and technical levels within the same country ". .. and between the Arab countries and each other. "

Aboul Gheit expressed gratitude for the work of the Arab Water Council and thanked Dr Mahmoud Abu Zeid, President of the Council, and Dr Hussein Al Atefi, Secretary General of the Council, for all their cooperation with the Council. Arab ministerial of water for the sole purpose of providing real water security to the generation. Arabs and generations to come.