About

Delivering on SDG 6 and SDG 2 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is considered a cornerstone towards achieving the global goal of "Leaving No One Behind". Yet, despite continuous global and national efforts, it remains a challenge. Various regional and global reports indicate deficiencies threatening the achievement of the objectives of the water-related targets in the 2030 Agenda.

According to the 2020 FAO State of food and agriculture report, water scarcity currently affects 3.2 billion people, of whom 1.4 billion live in rural areas, and 60% of irrigated lands are highly water-stressed. In the absence of urgent action, the situation will deteriorate, under the combined effects of a growing population, economic development, and climate change.

The main water challenges reported to date are still associated with inadequate governance, weak representation of various actors, and the incorporation of sectoral-based approaches in addressing complex and multifaceted issues. Such challenges can only be tackled through the advancement of partnerships and innovation, multi-sectoral collaboration, and data and information sharing.

In response of the above challenges and following the success of the Regional Initiative on Water Scarcity, (WSI), FAO Near East and North Africa was mandated to start the development of an inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS) to support the countries in coping with one of their striking challenges: the pursuit of food and water securities, for a sustainable social and economic development under an unprecedented severe escalation of water scarcity.

inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS)

The development of the inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS) was designed with the aim of aggregation and dissemination of up to date regional, national, and subnational innovations and best practices between experts, stakeholders and donors on specific topics and themes.

The overall goal for the iRTP-WS is to support countries and regions in scaling-up relevant water-related actions, programmes, and policies to cope with water scarcity and food insecurities amid the unprecedented challenges of climate change and socio-economic vulnerabilities, due to disasters and instability. The iRTP-WS is not intended to be an operational body. Instead, it is envisioned to play an integral role in brings together various actors from different countries and regions to work together drawing on their collective knowledge and resources in an action-oriented and result-based partnership.

As a hub for partnerships, knowledge and learnings on water, the iRTP-WS is intended to contribute to the development and dissemination of appropriate methods and tools addressing water scarcity and the water-related objectives of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.” It will include information and material on four main themes that include: Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation; Water Productivity Tools and Analytics; Non-Conventional Water Resources; and Water Governance.

RELATED SDGS

Mission

To strengthen knowledge exchange and support the development of innovative methods, pilots and tools to scale-up action and address complex development challenges on water and food security to accelerate the achievements of the SDGs, with a special focus on Goals 6 & 2 and considering the interlinkages across other related SDGs.

Strategic Goals

Bridge the Gap between Science and Policy
Promote the use of scientific evidence-based policy-making in integrated development planning
Advance Capacity Development agenda in water, agriculture and climate related topics

Focus areas of Work

Supporting the International Agenda

Leading and facilitating discussions around science and policy interface, governance reforms, effective nexus frameworks, alignment between global, regional, national, and local policies.

Knowledge Management, Technology and Innovation

Makes use of broader inter-regional exchange and learning fora and promotes the use of innovative tools and digital transformation via sharing of state-of-the-art methods, knowledge products, and best practices.

Inclusion & Participation

Fostering intersectoral collaboration; advancing partnerships and facilitating the formation of multi-disciplinary teams to address complex development challenges.

Capacity Development

Supporting the development of a common capacity development agenda to promote sound practices and achieve sustainable development outcomes

Scaling up investments and Innovation

Leveraging financial resources by enabling interactions with donors and financiers; promoting public-private dialogue to scale-up investments in water, agriculture and climate-related programmes and policies.

Main Users and Beneficiary Groups

Government Officials & Policy-makers;
International and regional donors & funding agencies and facilities,
Technical experts and national and local practitioners from all relevant sectors (Water, Agricultural, Energy, Gender, Climate change, Disaster Risk Reduction, etc.).
Academic researchers, specialized Community of Practices (CoPs) and members of the private sector;
Actors of play including: Farmers, Water Users’ Associations (WUAs), youth, women and young professionals; specialized media and communicators and planners
Development partners; International organizations, CSOs & NGOs.

Overarching Operational Guiding Considerations

To catalyze an interactive dialogue on Water for Sustainable Development, the iRTP-WS will consider the following Operational Guiding Considerations that are grounded in FAO scientific evidence and global diverse collective experience:

Fostering Knowledge Products and Tools adoption, with a special focus on enhancing evidence-based decision-making while maximizing the benefits from indigenous knowledge and experiences.
Advancing Policy Dialogue to promote convergence between regional, national, and local policies; fostering coherence between water, agriculture, Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change, and Sustainable Development Goals and advancing the use of the "All-of-Government” approach towards effective and powerful governance.
Developing Capacities, with a special focus on Promoting on-job training and various approaches like technical webinars;
Fostering the Use of Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation to enhance the understanding of water-related risks; promote the use of Multi-dimensional (Nexus) approaches, and advance data-sharing and information exchange.
Supporting Inclusion and Gender Equality by prompting “A Whole of Society Approach” with a special focus on advancing rural development for improved livelihoods and empowerment of women and vulnerable communities.
Leveraging Interregional Coordination and Mobilizing Partnerships to assist in advancing multi-action and multi-sectoral mechanisms;
Scaling up Investments and Resources Mobilization to expand the implementation of pilot projects, enhancing preparedness, and innovation toward a transformative change on the ground.

Partners

Hosted by FAO, the platform benefits from the active collaboration and contributions of partners. Our current partners include governments, other United Nations agencies, research centres, academia, and private sector entities specializing in water, agriculture and climate related topics.

To learn more about current partners, please visit the following link: Partners

To join our efforts and become a partner, please contact us through: Expression of Interest