Transboundary Water Management for the MENA region

The objectives of this programme were to identify the advantages with collaborative transboundary water management strategies and improve the participants' abilities to apply these strategies in their organisations.

The programme was running betwen the years 2006 and 2010 with participants from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

These programmes were designed for management staff from governmental, non-governmental and private sector organisations involved in water resources development management. The programme lasted for approximately 9 months where the participants met twice; first two weeks in Jordan and then one week in Sweden. Key features of the programme were the start-up workshops and the Individual Projects (IPs).

The start-up workshop was the beginning of the programme. It was the sole responsibility of the participant to plan and realize the workshop and coordinate with the Programme Facilitation Team member participating in the workshop. Each participant had to carry out an IP of a transboundary water management case within his/her country or region, in which the participant was directly engaged through his/her professional duties. The IP provided the basis for linking lectures, excursions and other experiences into a format that made the programme useful for their home organisations.

Water is essential to all kinds of human development and livelihood support systems. Transcending most political and administrative boundaries, the available freshwater and the benefits it generates must be shared among individuals, economic sectors and sovereign nations.

The water management challenges are becoming increasingly complex. New and growing demands increasingly strain scarce and erratic supplies, and crosses thematic, cultural and political boundaries.

This training provided a meeting place for professionals involved in transboundary water issues in the MENA region, with the aim at developing both personal and institutional bridges.