The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS) is an international, intergovernmental, award-winning organization established in 1992 and based in Tunis (Tunisia) since 2000. OSS holds the King Hassan II World Water Prize (2012 edition) and is an Accredited Implementing entity for the Adaptation Fund.

OSS operates as a platform for North-South-South partnerships on the environment and sustainable development, The organization works in Africa’s Sahel-Sahara region, which comprises 22 member countries located in North Africa (the Arab Maghreb Union – UMA – zone and Egypt), West Africa (the Permanent Interstates Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel – CILSS – zone) and East Africa (the Intergovernmental Authority for Development – IGAD – zone).

OSS members also include five non-African countries, five sub-regional organizations, five international organizations and a non-governmental organization.

OSS aims to support regional member countries’ policies and action in the field of sustainable natural resource management with a view to enabling sustainable development. Environmental monitoring and the joint management of transboundary aquifers, in particular, constitute two fields where OSS has gained international recognition.