Establishment and Institutionalization of WEFE Nexus for MENA
Project Title: Establishment and Institutionalization of WEFE Nexus for MENA
Donor: The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
Development Partner: The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
Target Countries: MENA countries, with a thorough focus on Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon
Starting date: January, 2023
End date: December, 2024
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:
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
The Key Outputs of the Project are:
Stories