Workshop on identifying Users and Uses of the Water-Energy-FoodEcosystem Nexus Hub for MENA (WEFE Nexus Hub) 

A participatory workshop on defining the Users and Uses of the WEFE Nexus Hub was held in Amman today, with an active participation of the public and private sectors, civil society organizations, international organizations, research centers and the media, in addition to the participation of gender experts and representatives of the local community and youth. This workshop is an important part of the design of the WEFE Nexus Hub, as part of the project of “Establsment and Institutionalization of Water-Energy-Eood-Ecosystem Nexus Hub for MENA”, that is funded by a generous grant from the Swedish International Cooperation Agency (SIDA) through our partners the Union for the Mediterranean (UFM). 

During the workshop, INWRDAM team presented the project goals, objectives, activities, progress and achievements, as well as the next steps following the timeline fothe project. It also included Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) on the preliminary lists of Users and Uses of the Hub through analyzing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SOWT) for each User and Uses. 

The workshop aimed at finalzing the Architecture Design of the WEFE Nexus Hub in a participatory approach. The workshop was participated by representatives of the relevant ministries in Jordan, including the Ministry of Water and Irrigation (MoWI), the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MoEMR), the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC), the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the National Center for agricultural research (NARC), as well as representatives of the SIDA, international and local organizations, and the private sector. Participants exchanged views and experiences on how to strengthen cooperation between the public and private sectors to sustain the WEFE Nexus Hub as an effective tool for the OIC WEFE Nexus Community of Practitioners (CoP) represented by member countries of the Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM), which reflects on promoting sustainable development in the MENA region. This meeting is an important step towards enhancing effective cooperation between the key stakeholders, aiming at achieving a balance between the environmental, economic and social dimensions in the region.

As for the workshop outputs, the proposed lists of Users and Uses for the Hub will be updated, in addition to revising the list of tools, presentation methods and feedback for the Hub by reviewing the proposed design and proposed lists. The recommendations from the workshop included strengthening the participatory approach between the active stakeholders and the Jordan  WEFE Nexus Framework that is being coordinated through MoPIC, which plays an important role in coordinating efforts between the relevant Ministries. The recommendations also included concluding lessons learned from similar previous projects that have been implemented by various entities but did not include the element of sustainability in their development.

This workshop represents the first workshop aimed at defining the Users and Uses of the WEFE Nexus Hub at the national level. The project's work plan includes further workshops at a regional level to bring out the design in its final form before its launch.