This report presents the results of the Expert Group Workshop on Environmental Planning and Management for Local and Regional Development.

The objective of the workshop was to review the current state of knowledge on the environmental impacts of structural adjustment programmes (SAPS), with the objective of indicating specific practical improvements in the design and implementation of ongoing economic reform activities, and identifying priorities for future work to enhance their effectiveness. The main messages of the workshop for (a) international financial institutions is to incorporate social and environmental objectives in the design of SAPS explicitly; (b) governments implementing SAPS to enforce and implement economic, social and environmental measures fully and effectively; (c) donors to coordinate policies and aid programmes and make them consistent with the economic, social and environmental objectives of the country; (d) NGOs and other stakeholders work closely with governments to take into account environmental social and cultural considerations and, finally, (e) academicians and researchers to adopt methodologies to help design better SAPS and ensure convincing evaluations.

The objective of this project was to achieve regional co-operation in the exploitation and management of the groundwater resources of the "Nubian Sandstone Aquifer" as well as combating desertification, and practice ecologically sound agriculture and other development activities in the extremely arid areas of the region by using the groundwater from the mentioned aquifer.

During the Symposium, special focus was placed on the sustainable development of water resources. The proceedings in which the outcomes of this symposium are compiled, should appeal to a wide range of readers varying from concerned citizens to experts engaged in the management of water resources. It is hoped that all concerned readers will find these proceedings useful in their daily activities.