The 8th January, 2009 marked a significant date for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Libya, as it signed a new project with the General Water Authority, (GWA), to support it in its water management activities. The GWA is the sole agency responsible for the investigation, development and management of water resources in Libya. The increasing strain on Libya’s limited water resources has served to place water management at the top of UNDP Libya’s concerns. Libya is one of the driest countries on Earth, with only 5% of its land receiving annual rainfall of over 100mm, a level that is critical for agriculture. Moreover, the exploitation of Libya’s groundwater supplies in recent years has severely reduced their sustainability and places the country’s vital groundwater resources at risk of contamination by sea water. UNDP Libya is therefore proud to further its commitment to ensuring the responsible and effective management and conservation of Libya’s essential water resources.

Under this new project, entitled ‘Strengthening GWA Technical Capacity in Water Resources Planning and Management’, UNDP Libya will assist GWA in upgrading their central laboratory and will support the capacity development of GWA staff members. These moves are intended to enhance GWA’s water monitoring capabilities, allowing for timely interventions to avoid the depletion of Libya’s highly stretched water resources.

The project also contains a gender mainstreaming component, in which the implications of water management developments are assessed in terms of their different impact on men and women. This will ensure that potential inequalities resulting from the project can be targeted and redressed at the project implementation stage, ensuring that the venture promotes and enhances efforts for gender equality in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.

Brian Gleeson, UNDP Resident Representative, highlighted that ‘water management will be one of the key issues affecting Libya’s development in the next 50 years.’ It was a sentiment echoed by Mr. Omar Salem, director of GWA. He pointed out that ‘once you have water, you don’t feel the value of it, because of its abundance, but once you lose it, the situation becomes critical’. It may not be evident to many now, but Libya has reached an important tipping point with regards to its water resources. The growing population, moves towards economic diversification and the burgeoning tourism industry will all increase pressure on Libya’s already strained water resources. Early intervention is crucial to sustain the country’s groundwater resources and retain its water quality.

The project builds on a long history of fruitful collaboration between UNDP Libya and GWA. Their last joint venture, launched in 1997, concerned the development and management of a monitoring system to track water depletion. UNDP Libya is confident that this new project will set the scene for a strengthening of its partnership with GWA.

UNDP Libya and GWA have also been cooperating on a regional programme for water governance, covering 7 Arab states. Under the scope of this programme UNDP seeks to act as a catalyst for effective water management through the provision of technical and policy support and capacity development for national agencies such as GWA. The programme will cover crucial areas of water governance, including water supply and sanitation, adaptation to climate change and the development of water resource management at local, national and transnational levels.

UNDP Libya has also announced its intention to support the Great Man Made River Project, where it will oversee the development of a Geographical Information System (GIS), as well as the capacity development of relevant staff members.

These projects mark a revitalization of UNDP Libya’s efforts to preserve and manage Libya’s scarce water resources. These attempts come at a critical time, as human exploitation and inefficiency have conspired to place the security of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya’s water supplies under threat.