The Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources and the Arab Center ACSAD / Cooperation Agreement
The Ministry of Water Resources in the Republic of Iraq and the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands “ACSAD” have signed a technical and scientific cooperation agreement to develop the cooperation affairs between them in what would serve their joint efforts in developing Water Resources, and irrigation systems in the Republic of Iraq and the rest of Arab world’s countries. in addition to, the mutual benefit from the scientific experiences and potentials available for both.
The agreement has been signed from the Iraqi’s side by His Excellency the Minister of Water Resources, Eng. Mahdi Rasheed Al-Hamadani, and by the Director-General of the Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Drylands, His Excellency, Dr Nasr Edin Obaid; in the presence of the Syrian Minister of Water Resources, Dr Tamam Raad and the Manager of Housing and Water Resources Department in the Arab League, Dr Jamal Edin Jab Ullah.
The agreement includes cooperation in the integrated management of Water Resources and irrigation management, raising its efficiency, applying rain-harvesting technologies, using the modern methods in determining the water needs for crops and the impact of climate changes on them, studying climate change as well, and evaluating its resultant effects on water sector to define the ways of adaptation with.
It also includes preparing the mathematical models for groundwater basins and improving their management, developing the workers’ technical capacities in the field of irrigation, raising water and environmental awareness, and studying the use of saline water in irrigation. In addition to using the remote sensing technologies in determining winter and summer crops types, and assessing the actual water consumption, building capacities in the field of climate changes scenarios and models that are congruent to the Iraqi environment to study the impacts of the mentioned change on the outcomes of the basins.
The agreement also states to prepare the documents of joint research projects, studies and plans consistent with the Ministry’s and ACSAD’s priorities and plans; promoting them for international and Arab funding institutions to provide the required fund for implementation, conducting scientific meetings, forums, training courses, and workshops to building and restoring the national capabilities in the field of common interest.
Moreover, it provides for the necessity of each side benefit from the technical and scientific experiences and infrastructure available of the other side, implementing mutual programs in mathematical modelling of the surface and groundwater resources in the Republic of Iraq, sharing the scientific editions and publications issued by each side, constant consulting about different fields of common interest to support the cooperation efforts and develop them to serve the common interest.
Furthermore, the agreement also states to exchange the experts and specialists between the Ministry and ACSAD to provide the experience, participating in training courses, or giving scientific lectures. In addition to sharing data, information, statistics, publications, and the scientific documentaries related to joint activities, as well as publishing the Ministry’s research in ACSAD’s refereed research journal “the Arab Journal of Arid Environments” and vice versa.
