Pathways to Strengthening Agricultural Water Governance, Enhancing Resilience, and Bridging Data Gaps in Water and Agriculture

Water scarcity is the most critical challenge facing the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region, threatening food and water security, rural livelihoods, and economic stability. Through the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI), FAO supports countries by leveraging its expertise in policy, innovation, and capacity building. The programme focuses on three key outcomes: improving agricultural water governance, enhancing climate resilience in food systems and water services, and promoting regional knowledge exchange. FAO pilots improved water allocation frameworks in Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, and Tunisia, using technical assessments to guide policy and planning. It also advances Sanitation Safety Planning (SSP) in Jordan, Tunisia, and Palestine to promote safe reuse of treated wastewater, reducing reliance on freshwater and strengthening WASH services. To address data gaps, FAO is building geospatial capacities through regional training in remote sensing, GIS, and cloud-based tools like WaPOR, enabling better water accounting and productivity monitoring. These efforts align with regional priorities and recommendations from Arab institutions, aiming to foster sustainable solutions. The technical session will present progress, challenges, and next steps, while engaging stakeholders in discussions on scaling and sustainability of these interventions across the region.
  • 15:00 - 16:30 (ICELAND)
    Day 1

Conveners

  • FAO

Chairman

Moderator

Speakers