FAO delegation in the Fourth Arab Water Forum led by Abdessalem Ould Ahmed, FAO ADG and Regional Representative for NENA.

Through its participation in the forum, FAO continues its regional efforts to support countries in achieving water security

28 November 2017, Cairo, Egypt – The Near East and North Africa (NENA) region has the lowest per capita fresh-water resource availability of any region in the world. By 2050, it is expected to decline a further 50 percent due to rising populations, food security policies, socio-economic development and climate change. Indeed, water security will be the most pressing issue in this part of the world in years to come.

To offer a platform where decision makers, water-resource experts, practitioners and institutions can discuss the issue of water management for growth and sustainable development in the NENA region, the Arab Water Council (AWC) has launched the Fourth Arab Water Forum.

This year’s forum came under the theme of “Sharing Water, Sharing Destiny” and was held under the auspices of the League of Arab States (LAS) and Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation.

Throughout the forum’s three days, 26 - 28 November 2017, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) participated in many panels and sessions. The discussions presented ideas that are at the heart of FAO’s mission in the NENA region: to achieve food and water security and sustainable development.

“We are at a critical turning point in the natural resources history of the NENA region,” said Abdessalem Ould Ahmed, FAO Assistant Director and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa, during the opening ceremony. “To achieve water security for the region, strong alliances are needed at several levels: social, private, public, policy, governance and financial. Working together, these strong partnerships can overcome water scarcity challenges.”

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were a highlight throughout the forum, particularly SDG 6, which aims at ensuring sustainable water supplies for all.

The forum’s first plenary session “Water and the SDGs: Progress in the Arab Region”, thoroughly discussed water-related SDGs, particularly SDG 6 as well as SDG 2 (zero hunger).

During the session, Pasquale Steduto, FAO Strategic Programmes Coordinator and Water Scarcity Regional Initiative Delivery Manager for the NENA region, provided a framework for understanding the challenges and opportunities for pursuing these SDGs in the NENA region and the steps taken to achieve them, emphasising SDG Target 6.4, which aims at significant increases in water-use efficiency and sustainability by 2030.

“When levels of water stress are very high, other dimensions of SDG 6 are negatively affected,” Steduto said. “This means that water consumption must be reduced while more non-conventional water resources need to be treated and re-used. There is a high need for more efficiency in water usage and management, particularly with transboundary water resources. In the absence of such an integrated approach, water scarcity will increase.”

Irrigation and water efficiency

FAO participated in four sessions during the forum that tackled the issue of irrigation, namely on how to utilise both new and indigenous irrigation methods to better manage water resources in the NENA region.

The side event “From Traditional Knowledge to Innovation: The Role of Modernisation in Improving Water Use in Agriculture”, discussed how traditional irrigation practices can be used to improve modern technologies and practices and meet the challenges of water scarcity and food security in the dry areas.

“By using traditional and indigenous knowledge and modernising irrigation systems, land and water use will become more productive and efficient,” added Steduto during his keynote presentation in the session. “Though, there will be no water saving unless limits are set with regards to water consumption and allocation.”

In addition, Chris Perry, Water Resource Economist, during the session “The Debate of Equating Improved Irrigation Efficiency to Water Saving”, highlighted major findings on irrigation and water saving technologies, both globally and in the NENA region. He drew on case studies and feedback from key stakeholders to clarify that modernized irrigation systems will not help in saving water if also limits of consumption and allocations are not put in place.

In the forum, FAO participants and speakers emphasized the importance of using non-conventional and recycled water in the NENA region. During the sessions “Promoting the Use of Non-Conventional Water in the Arab Region” and “Scaling-up the Safe Use of Recycled Water in the Arab Region”, different irrigation practices were discussed that would assist member countries reach SDG Targets 6.3 on water quality and Target 6.4 on water scarcity and water-use efficiency.

Technology and agriculture

Numerous participants were particularly interested in the Organization’s Regional Knowledge Platform (RKP), an initiative in collaboration with 10 other leading organisations that will serve as a wealth of data, maps, projections and models. During a session focusing on RKP, FAO presented the platform’s different features that aim at helping NENA countries develop in-depth analysis and assessments of present and projected development scenarios to increase their resilience and sustainability.

Solar energy

The forum also highlighted the importance of using solar energy for irrigation purposes in the Nile Delta. The session “The Use of Solar Energy for the Development of Mega Projects in Egypt” shed light on how alternative forms of energy will be necessary in Egypt to provide enough water in coming years, as water supplies are stressed due to climate change and over-use.

“Agriculture accounts for as much as 35 percent of total domestic energy use in the country, which poses a challenge. Solar-powered irrigation pumps can save money and reduce water loss, while also avoiding the external shocks that affect other energy sources,” mentioned Steduto.

FAO’s work in the region

Water scarcity in the NENA region is a key focus area of FAO’s efforts. The Organization’s Water Scarcity Regional Initiative aims at helping NENA countries in coping with the challenge of pursuing food and water securities amid an unprecedented severe escalation of water scarcity. Namely, the initiative works to ensure that countries set sustainable limits of water consumption and make the best use of water resources, including the use of non-conventional water sources.

To date, the regional initiative has produced results in 11 different countries, including pioneering aquaculture farms and solar-energy water pumps, assessing groundwater governance, envisioning climate-change scenarios and selecting drought-monitoring indices.