"Support Cooperation on Water Resource Management in Lower Mesopotamia? Project
Increasing water scarcity, degradation of water quality, land salinity and desiccation of marshlands, are all crucial issues that constantly challenge the sustainable development of lower Mesopotamia. To tackle these development challenges, the governments of Lower Mesopotamia?s riparian countries (Iraq, Iran and Syria) in collaboration with FAO and other development partners, launched a new project to strengthen their cooperation in the field of water resources management. The project is funded by the Government of Italy (4.538.235 USD), which entrusted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to execute the initiative and provide technical assistance for its implementation.
Increasing water scarcity, degradation of water quality, land salinity and desiccation of marshlands, are all crucial issues that constantly challenge the sustainable development of lower Mesopotamia.
To tackle these development challenges, the governments of Lower Mesopotamia’s riparian countries (Iraq, Iran and Syria) in collaboration with FAO and other development partners, launched a new project to strengthen their cooperation in the field of water resources management. The project is funded by the Government of Italy (4.538.235 USD), which entrusted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to execute the initiative and provide technical assistance for its implementation.
The joint initiative was officially launched last Wednesday, the 30th of January, during a two days inception workshop that was opened by high level delegations of the Iranian and Iraqi Governments, representatives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as experts from FAO.
“Launching such a project in Lower Mesopotamia’s countries is both crucial and symbolic: in the Near East region renewable water resources have declined from over 4300 m3 per year in the middle of the last century to around 630 m3 in 2010, compared to 6400 m3 for the world”, stated Mr. Ould Ahmed, Regional Representative for the FAO Regional Office for the Near East, during his opening speech, highlighting that “In Iran, water resources per capita decreased from 2038 m3 to 1832 m3 in the past 10 years. As for Iraq, water available went down from 3561 m3 per capita to 2751 m3 in the same period. In Syria, water resources available per person decreased from 816m3 to 694 m3”.
“Water scarcity in the region has hugely affected our capacities to ensure adequate provision of water for basic needs in Lower Mesopotamia, especially in the field of agriculture” stated Mr. Bokhtiar Abdulkarim, Advisor for Financial Affairs of the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources” and continued “the strategic importance of the project lies in the fact that it will establish the foundations for a new cooperation among our countries to face common challenges related to water management, with the support of the breadth of knowledge of FAO”.
Capacity development and institution building will be at the core of the project’s interventions and, as emphasized by Min. Massimo Bellelli, representative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this will greatly contribute to the sustainability of the intervention that will enhance the cooperation among riparian countries “to address common matters and challenges related to water management and environment”. “The project has been formulated in close coordination with the riparian countries who are now the owner of the initiative. With the support of FAO those countries will be technically prepared to tackle the water scarcity across the Tigris-Euphrates basin. The project therefore, will have a fully technical nature and will address the improvement of water resources management and ways to cope with water scarcity” stated Mr. Pasquale Steduto, Principal Officer & OiC, Land and Water Division, FAO-Rome.
By tackling crucial water related challenges in an integrated approach, the project will contribute “to promoting development and food security in the region using advanced tools for cost saving and enhanced capacity for improved agricultural water productivity, increased production and improving agricultural water resources quality and quantity” concluded H.E. Seyed Rahim Sajadi Hezaveh, Deputy Minister for Soil, Water and Industries from the Iranian Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture.
Press Release in PDF Format
To tackle these development challenges, the governments of Lower Mesopotamia’s riparian countries (Iraq, Iran and Syria) in collaboration with FAO and other development partners, launched a new project to strengthen their cooperation in the field of water resources management. The project is funded by the Government of Italy (4.538.235 USD), which entrusted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization to execute the initiative and provide technical assistance for its implementation.
The joint initiative was officially launched last Wednesday, the 30th of January, during a two days inception workshop that was opened by high level delegations of the Iranian and Iraqi Governments, representatives of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as experts from FAO.
“Launching such a project in Lower Mesopotamia’s countries is both crucial and symbolic: in the Near East region renewable water resources have declined from over 4300 m3 per year in the middle of the last century to around 630 m3 in 2010, compared to 6400 m3 for the world”, stated Mr. Ould Ahmed, Regional Representative for the FAO Regional Office for the Near East, during his opening speech, highlighting that “In Iran, water resources per capita decreased from 2038 m3 to 1832 m3 in the past 10 years. As for Iraq, water available went down from 3561 m3 per capita to 2751 m3 in the same period. In Syria, water resources available per person decreased from 816m3 to 694 m3”.
“Water scarcity in the region has hugely affected our capacities to ensure adequate provision of water for basic needs in Lower Mesopotamia, especially in the field of agriculture” stated Mr. Bokhtiar Abdulkarim, Advisor for Financial Affairs of the Iraqi Ministry of Water Resources” and continued “the strategic importance of the project lies in the fact that it will establish the foundations for a new cooperation among our countries to face common challenges related to water management, with the support of the breadth of knowledge of FAO”.
Capacity development and institution building will be at the core of the project’s interventions and, as emphasized by Min. Massimo Bellelli, representative of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this will greatly contribute to the sustainability of the intervention that will enhance the cooperation among riparian countries “to address common matters and challenges related to water management and environment”. “The project has been formulated in close coordination with the riparian countries who are now the owner of the initiative. With the support of FAO those countries will be technically prepared to tackle the water scarcity across the Tigris-Euphrates basin. The project therefore, will have a fully technical nature and will address the improvement of water resources management and ways to cope with water scarcity” stated Mr. Pasquale Steduto, Principal Officer & OiC, Land and Water Division, FAO-Rome.
By tackling crucial water related challenges in an integrated approach, the project will contribute “to promoting development and food security in the region using advanced tools for cost saving and enhanced capacity for improved agricultural water productivity, increased production and improving agricultural water resources quality and quantity” concluded H.E. Seyed Rahim Sajadi Hezaveh, Deputy Minister for Soil, Water and Industries from the Iranian Ministry of Jihad-e-Agriculture.
Press Release in PDF Format
27/01/2013