Establishment and Institutionalization of WEFE Nexus Hub for MENA

The South East Mediterranean (SEMED) and Middle East North Africa (MENA) regions have been facing water scarcity for centuries, but the situation has worsened due to climate change and increasing demands from a growing population. The regions' water security and environmental sustainability are threatened by intersectoral challenges, such as weak governance structures, overexploitation of surface and groundwater resources, decreasing water quality, and wasteful behavior in the agricultural sector.

The Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach recognises the interdependence of these sectors and highlights the importance of system efficiency rather than sectoral efficiency. Decisions in one policy area can have unintended consequences in another, and the cross-sectoral relationships should be acknowledged to enhance regional water security, socio-economic development, stability, and peace. Failure to address trade-offs and externalities can damage trust between countries and cause tensions, which can hamper regional cooperation or even spark conflict.

Recognizing the current state-of-the-practice and the importance of a comprehensive multi-componential approach to addressing problems arising from the limited key resources, including water, energy and food, INWRDAM is keen on adopting, institutionalizing and operationalizing the WEFE Nexus approach. It is for this reason that INWRDAM is keen on partnership with the UfM to develop the WEFE Nexus Hub.

The UfM funded WEFE Nexus Hub at INWRDAM aims to enhance the management of water, energy and food security within the MENA region ensuring socio-economic and environmental sustainability.

The specific objectives of this cooperation include the following:

• Institutionalize the WEFE Nexus Hub for OIC within INWRDAM through a stakeholder participatory process.

• High level WEFE Nexus policy development and advocacy.

• Develop on ground regional WEFE projects.

The success of our project in managing water, energy, and food security in the MENA region hinges on active stakeholder engagement. By involving key government officials and main stakeholders from Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia at the decision-making level, and engaging non-governmental actors as part of the WEFE Community of Practice (CoP), INWRDAM ensured comprehensive participation. Workshops conducted in Jordan and Egypt identified stakeholders and potential users for the WEFE Nexus Hub, defining its uses and training needs. This collaborative input refined the Hub's design and tailored training programs to stakeholders' capacities. Investing in diplomatic relations facilitated regional dialogue and advocacy, promoting a unified approach to sustainable development and addressing shared challenges.

Key Actions

• Improved access to reliable and up to date WEFE Nexus tools and information can be achieved by establishing a WEFE Nexus Hub as a platform for information and tools on the INWRDAM website. To ensure sustainability, the project ensures the developed tools are institutionalized. The Hub (platform) was funded by INWRDAM under its website to ensure sustainability of the developed tools.
• WEFE Nexus policy development and advocacy enhanced through better understanding of the policies.
• The project aims to build the capacity of practitioners in the field by identifying their training needs and providing targeted training.
• Pilot projects serve as demonstrations of how the WEFE Nexus works in practice. These pilot projects have been identified in Jordan and Egypt.
  • In Jordan, a cluster of ten hydroponic farms will be constructed to grow crops using harvested rain and floodwater. A solar power system (on-grid) will provide energy for the irrigation pumping systems in the farms, within the framework of the Project: WEFE Nexus for Sustainable Development in MENA.
  • In Egypt, the main objective is to provide local communities with a water harvesting system using mountain lakes for development purposes that also protect the available infrastructure. A solar plant will generate electricity to power the irrigation pumping systems.

The Key Outputs of the Project are:

1.     Operational WEFE Nexus Hub

The WEFE Nexus Hub was designed under this project and developed by INWRDAM. The WEFE Nexus Hub is a powerful tool designed to support the WEFE Community of Practice (CoP) by providing a centralized platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and regional dialogue. As part of INWRDAM's broader efforts to integrate the WEFE Nexus approach, the Hub serves as a vital resource for practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders across the MENA and SEMED regions. As a dynamic and evolving platform, the WEFE Nexus Hub is central to the success of the Community of Practice, driving the collective effort to achieve sustainable water management and resilience in the face of growing environmental and socio-economic pressures.

2. Baseline study covering the MENA region

The aim of the WEFE Nexus baseline study is to systematically map the current state of the Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus in SEMED countries. The summary of the baseline study can be found through the WEFE Hub publications and stories. The aim of the WEFE Nexus baseline study is to systematically map the current state of the Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus in SEMED countries. The baseline targets Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan, West Bank, Gaza StripLebanon, Syria, Türkiye, Saudi, Iraq and Sudan. Outcomes of this study guide the development of new proposals through assessing gaps to fill in towards fostering the adoption of the WEFE NExus Approach.

3. Four policy papers relevant to WEFE targeting different countries.

The ToR of these studies will be developed following the results and recommendations of the baseline study conducted under the same project.

4. At least 20 training seminars and workshops on WEFE targeting key stakeholders in Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

The training needs were assessed in a participatory approach, while the results of the assessment were used to develop training modules, as well as to enrich new projects’ proposals. Member states of the WEFE Community of Practice (CoP) were engaged in the assessment of the training needs, defining capacities of each member, and planning the training program.

5. Two WEFE pilots in Jordan and Egypt showcasing successful pillars of implementing the WEFE Approach on ground.

The two pilots were defined in a participatory approach, incorporating health and decent working conditions in a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem-Health (WEFEH) Nexus.