The UfM 13^th Water Expert Group (WEG13) meeting took place in a hybrid format at the Direction Générale de l’Hydraulique of the Ministry of Equipment and Water to review progress at national level in the implementation of the UfM Water Agenda, including the UfM Financial Strategy for Water, since the 12^th meeting of the Water Expert Group took place in May 2022 in Amman, Jordan.

The meeting also examined the outcomes of the UNFCCC COP 27 and the UN 2023 Water Conference held last March in 2023. Furthermore, the meeting reflected on the necessity of establishing another UfM meeting of Water Ministries after the first The UfM Ministerial Declaration on Water that was held in 2017, to create a momentum to the water agenda’s implementation. In that sense, it was agreed that the UfM would start a process of consultation with member states towards drafting a new declaration on water, Such preparation process will include the drafting of a Roadmap by the UfM that will collect member states’ contributions, which will be presented to the UfM Senior Officials by the end of this year.

UfM member states agreed on the necessity of adopting the non-conventional water resources as an effective alternative for addressing water scarcity, adapting to climate change, protecting the environment, promoting sustainable development, and ensuring a reliable water supply for the future. Furthermore, they highlighted that the use of non-conventional water resources will improve the transition towards a more sustainable circular economy model. In line with this discussion, the directorate general of water of Spain asked the UfM to help with the implementation of IDRA, the International Drought Resilience Alliance, an initiative of Senegal and Spain launched at the latest UN Climate Conference COP27 in Sharm el-Sheikh.