Water Scarcity Initiative - Water Scarcity Initiative NEW Water Scarcity Initiative The program aims to enhance coordination and collaboration among various stakeholders in the pursuit of water security and food security. FAO leads a consortium consisting of five international core partners working on issues including climate adaptation, water accounting, irrigation efficiency, non-conventional water use, water-energy-food nexus, and data deficiency in nine countries in the MENA region. The programme also supports the regional intergovernmental processes on water and agriculture within the League of Arab States to address common challenges facing countries of the region. Programmet avser att stärka samordning och samarbete mellan aktörer som arbetar med vattenresurshantering och livsmedelstygghet. FAO leder ett konsortium med fem partnerterorganisationer som hanterar tekniska frågor som klimatanpassning, vattenresursförvalting, bevattningseffektivitet, vatten-mat-energi nexus och datahantering i nio länder i MENA regionen. Programmet stödjer även regionala processer för att öka samverkan mellan vatten och jordbrukssektorn på regional nivå som samordnas av Arabförbundet. The programme is a flaghship regional initative that will implemented by six organsitions, all with significant influence in the water sector, and the programme will have national implementation in nine countries across the region, including two confilict countries. The programme is built around three strategic components that are broken down broken down into 17 outputs. 

• Outcome 1 focuses on strengthening governance and aims to pilot the implementation of management strategies that promote efficient water use in agriculture, ultimately enhancing food security by increasing agricultural productivity and reducing vulnerability to food crises.


• Outcome 2 focuses on enhancing the resilience of food systems and aims to make food systems more adaptable and better equipped to withstand climate-related disruptions and ensure the resilience of water services for adequate water supply for agriculture and other uses.


• Outcome 3 focuses on building capacities, increasing awareness, exchanging experiences, best practices, and expertise, thus enabling countries in the region to learn from each other in developing and implementing relevant policies, strategies and plans. This knowledge sharing and cooperation are crucial in building a coherent regional approach to agricultural water use, food security, and climate change adaptation.

The programmes overall aim is to support water users and managers in the MENA countries in strengthening the planning and management of water resources in a sustainable manner to achieve water, food, and energy security under growing water scarcity and rapidly changing climate. It will strengthen coherence and harmonization of regional and national policies and regional promote cooperation to address one of the region's most pressing challenges in an holistic manner. As important, the establishment of one mechanism to support a regional approach involving six well established organisation with a history of working to address water scarcity should also yield results in terms of coordination, efficiency, and development of synergies.


The overall objective of the programme will contribute to the achievement of the water-related targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with particular emphasis on No Poverty (SDG 1), Zero Hunger (SDG 2), Clean water and Sanitation (SDG 6), "Affordable and Clean Energy" (SDG 7), Climate Action (SDG 13), Life on Land (SDG 15), and Partnership for Goals (SDG 17).