Launch of online training on Geospatial Information Technology

The Regional Water Scarcity Initiative Programme of FAO’s Near East and North Africa Office, in collaboration with the NSL Geospatial Unit, officially launched the online training program on “Using Geospatial Information Technology to Bridge Data Gaps and Support Decision-Making in the Water and Agriculture Sectors in Water-Scarce Contexts.”

The opening session, held on 1 September 2025, brought together distinguished speakers and partners who underscored the importance of strengthening data systems and geospatial capacities to address water scarcity challenges. Moderated by Mr. Mohamed Abdallah, Project Coordinator of the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative, the session outlined the goals of the new capacity-building programme and its strong alignment with FAO’s mandate to promote sustainable agricultural water management.

An overview of the programme was presented by Mr. Mohamed Al Hamdi, FAO Senior Land and Water Officer and Delivery Manager of the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative at FAO-RNE, who highlighted its objectives and expected outcomes.

Key opening remarks were delivered by Mr. AbdulHakim Elwaer, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Near East and North Africa, Mr. Lifeng Li, Director of the Land and Water Division at FAO-HQ, Mr. Magnus Andre, Regional Programme Manager – Environment and Climate Change at Sida, Mr. Mahmoud Fathallah of the League of Arab States and Mr. Kamel Amer of the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development. Their interventions reaffirmed the value of collaborative action and technical capacity development in bridging data gaps and enabling evidence-based decision-making across the region.

This online Foundation Module, running from September to December 2025, marks the first part of the programme, which will continue with an in-person module in 2026. It will equip technical staff from the ministries of water and agriculture in Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine and Tunisia with enhanced skills in data collection, geospatial analysis and decision support.

The training is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and contributes directly to the implementation of the recommendation of the League of Arab States High-Level Joint Water–Agriculture Technical Committee on “Bridging data gaps in Water and Agriculture sectors through the application of geospatial information technologies.”