Mauritania - Project to improve the climate resilience of water sector investments through appropriate climate adaptation activities for pastoral and forestry resources in southern Mauritania (REVUWI)

The National Integrated Rural Water Sector Project (PNISER) is located in the wilayas of Gorgol and Brakna (South-East) and Tagant (Centre). These wilayas are home to a rural population of 736,000, that is 34% of the country’s rural population. The choice of these wilayas is justified by their high poverty rate (63.9% in Brakna; 66.5% in Gorgol and 67.8% in Tagant) despite substantial (but under-tapped) water resources and a key geographical situation, a crossroads for cattle transhumance from the west and north of the country in search of grazing land and watering points. The project is based on a participatory and integrated approach the innovative feature of which lies in: (i) the consideration of human, pastoral and agricultural needs given their economic and social role; (ii) its strategic vision to develop a structured action framework that incorporates the sector’s needs by the year 2030 ; (iii) better synergy between the departments involved in order to transcend the limits of the sector approach. Lastly, this approach aims to create conditions conductive to the mobilization of other donors, with the support of the Bank, for a coordinated and complementary water sector operation, in keeping with the spirit of the Paris Declaration.