The Moroccan-Swiss Scientific Days kicked off on October 16 in Rabat, with a particular emphasis on water-related issues in Morocco, aiming to foster knowledge sharing and highlight the country’s unwavering efforts in water management.
The theme of the event revolved around “Water Challenges in Morocco”, jointly organized by Mohammed V University of Rabat and Leading House MENA in Switzerland, with the support of the Swiss Embassy in Morocco.
During the meeting, Abdellatif Miraoui, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, and the Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Department of Economy, Education, and Research, Guy Parmelin, signed a cooperation agreement in the field of education, scientific research, and innovation.
In collaboration with the Swiss Embassy in Morocco, the meeting was an opportunity to bring together a group of experts to exchange knowledge and discuss the issue of water, which is now a global concern and Morocco is no exception.
The discussions also centered around Morocco’s initiatives in dam construction, water management in agriculture, and improving drinking water supplies.
Nizar Baraka, Minister of Equipment and Water highlighted the importance of advancing scientific research, innovation, and sharing experiences and best practices to foster cooperation and collaboration between policy-makers and scientific researchers in the field of water management.
The minister emphasized during the event that Morocco, being an arid and semi-arid country, is facing increasing water scarcity. The water availability has significantly dropped from 2,600 cubic meters per capita per year in 1960 to 603 cubic meters per capita per year at present. By 2030, it is expected to reach 500 cubic meters per capita per year.
Baraka underlined, “It is essential for us to position ourselves and take action to address this issue. King Hassan II initiated the dam policy in the 1960s, which enabled us to have 152 dams with a storage capacity of 20 billion cubic meters. We continue on this path with King Mohammed VI, as 20 dams are currently under construction, aiming to reach a storage capacity of 26 billion cubic meters by 2030.”
Morocco has undertaken proactive measures to face the impact of rising temperatures on its water resources. The country intends to build 300 small dams and hopes to source more than 50% of its drinking water from desalination by 2030, indicated Baraka.
“Today’s objective was to discuss the development of scientific research in this field. With climate change, there are new challenges, and it is necessary to seek new techniques to enhance water efficiency. It is also important to develop an information system regarding integrated water management and to improve the utilization of desalination technologies. Furthermore, work is being done to promote water conservation and improve water management practices,” said Baraka to Hespress.
The Minister of Equipment and Water emphasized that all these issues are open for scientific research and technological development. There have been efforts to establish a specialized water institute involving universities, intuitions, and engineering schools to address these challenges and promote international cooperation in the field of water.
On his part, The Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation underscored the importance of this opportunity in boosting bilateral relations. He noted that Morocco provides an opportunity for its academic ecosystem to collaborate with leading Swiss universities in connecting human expertise in this field.
“As you are aware, water holds immense importance as a priority and sovereign sector for our country. The directives from His Majesty in this field are clear to our government. Today, we are providing an opportunity for our teaching and research faculty to collaborate with leading Swiss universities, fostering the exchange of expertise and knowledge in the domain of water,” Miraoui said to Hespress.
He emphasized that Morocco and Switzerland already have a longstanding and sustainable relationship, and the event was a golden opportunity to further strengthen it, particularly in addressing the challenges and issues related to water.
Miraoui said, “There is one point on which we place a strong emphasis, and that is how to connect expertise and human capital in this field, particularly for doctoral students to enhance mobility,” emphasizing the importance of approaching the issue of water in its entirety, taking into consideration the expertise in social sciences and humanities as well.
The Swiss Federal Councillor and Head of the Department of Economy, Education, and Research, on his part, brought to discussion that the diplomatic relations between the two countries were celebrating their 100th anniversary. He went on to say that Switzerland has highly specialized companies in water sanitation and supply development.
“The focus is on various aspects of research, including fundamental and applied research. The next steps may involve industrial and economic collaboration, exploring how the expertise of both countries can be utilized in practical exercises to improve water conservation,” explained Parmelin to Hespress.
He insisted that the collaboration was an opportunity for mutual learning, with Morocco learning from Switzerland and vice versa, ultimately aiming for a win-win solution. However, to achieve this, it is important to deepen the scientific partnership.
It is worth noting that the Kingdom of Morocco has contributed 3 million dirhams to the financing of the projects planned for the year 2023. In addition, both parties have agreed to launch a second call for projects following the success of the first one, expanding the scope to encompass other areas such as agriculture and energy.
The official launch of this event, held at the University of Mohammed V in Rabat from October 16 to 17, was attended by the Swiss Ambassador to Morocco, the President of the University of Mohammed V, the Swiss delegation, and different notable figures from academia and diplomacy from both countries.
The event included three-panel discussions focusing on scientific expertise exchange, addressing the themes of new technologies for sustainable water management, water management in the agricultural sector, and water governance.
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