With a projected budget of €12 million, the project aims to improve water availability and stimulate inclusive economic development in the High Atlas region, which was severely affected by the earthquake of September 2023.
Co-funded by the German and Danish governments, the project, to be implemented by the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ), aims to assist the areas affected by the earthquake and promote innovative governance of natural resources, through the implementation of the Ourika river contract.
The project focuses on four main areas: governance of water resources, reconstruction, economic recovery, and promoting the skills needed to generalize and replicate the innovative practices tested under the project.
Speaking on the occasion, Minister of Equipment and Water Nizar Baraka said that, since the 2023 earthquake and in application of the High Guidelines of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan government had implemented a series of initiatives aimed at meeting the urgent needs of the stricken population, while adopting a strategic vision for the management of water resources.
For his part, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Morocco Robert Dölger stressed the need to implement, through this project, integrated adaptation approaches to help improve the livelihood of local populations while ensuring the sustainability of their economic activities, recalling Germany’s willingness of contributing to joint climate change adaptation efforts.
In turn, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Denmark to Morocco Berit Basse noted that the project’s integrated adaptation approaches and ambitious objectives call for both social and technical innovation, shedding light on Denmark’ volition to contribute, through this project, to improving the livelihood of the local population and promoting nature-based solutions.
Morocco’s National Agency for Water and Forests (ANEF) Managing Director Abderrahim Houmy described the initiative as a beacon of hope and opportunity for the regions affected by the earthquake, and a strong commitment to the resilience of populations, the sustainable management of natural resources and the fight against the impacts of climate change.
On the sidelines of the “Sustainable territories – Sustainable and resilient lifestyles in Morocco” project, an agreement was signed by Morocco’s Director General of Hydraulic Engineering Abdelaziz Zerouali, Head of GIZ’s North Africa Department Doreen Fontaine, and Senior Technical Advisor for the new project Anne Chaponnière.
A second partnership agreement was also inked by Director of Morocco’s Tensift Water Basin Agency (ABHT) Mohamed Chtioui, Regional Director of ANEF Marrakech Safi Abdelaziz Hajjaji and Chaponnière, defining the terms and conditions for implementing the project’s activities, as well as the resources to be employed.
