Supporting the implementation of the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative

The Arab region faces severe water scarcity and deteriorating water quality due to rapid population growth, urbanization, economic expansion, and the impacts of climate change and groundwater depletion. This situation threatens food security, rural livelihoods, and economic stability, especially for communities dependent on agriculture and reliable water services. 

The Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) was launched in 2013 as a collaborative regional platform to strengthen water resource planning, management, and agricultural resilience through cross-sectoral coordination, evidence-based policymaking, and knowledge sharing. Its regional programme focuses on two priority areas:

1. Strengthening and enhancing water resource planning and management in the context of climate change;
2.  Building productive, resilient and sustainable agricultural landscapes and food systems.

Our approach

ESCWA supports WSI in the Arab region, focusing on Morocco and Tunisia. Its efforts center on climate-informed policy planning, adaptation strategies, and strengthening groundwater governance to enhance resilience in water-scarce areas. Its integrated approach involves governance reforms, technical assessments, and capacity building, all aimed at promoting policy coherence across water, agriculture, and climate sectors. 

The approach is structured around two core pillars:

• strengthened groundwater governance (Output 1.3) and
• climate-informed policy planning and adaptation (Output 2.7).

Our partners

The initiative is implemented by ESCWA and a consortium of partners, including the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), under the leadership of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Arab Center for the Studies of Arid Zones and Dry Lands (ACSAD) contributes technical expertise, facilitates national coordination, and supports regional collaboration. 

Morocco and Tunisia serve as the principal partners and main beneficiaries of the initiative, represented respectively by the Ministry of Equipment and Water and the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries.

The donor supporting this initiative is the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), representing the Swedish government.

Our activities

Groundwater governance

ESCWA focuses on strengthening groundwater governance through a participatory and pilot-based approach. This includes engaging regional and national stakeholders, developing a groundwater governance assessment methodology, and conducting comprehensive assessments in a selected pilot aquifer in Morocco. Also based on these assessments, practical governance guidelines and organizational frameworks are developed, tested, and refined through pilot applications. The activities also include later awareness-raising and targeted capacity-building, alongside the development of tools, training modules and knowledge products to promote sustainable groundwater management across the region.

Climate change policy planning

ESCWA focuses on conducting climate impact assessments on water resources in a priority basin in Tunisia, combining national consultations, data collection and hydrological analysis using regional climate projections. Based on these findings, Climate Resilience Packages and policy guidelines are developed to support the integration of adaptation measures into national frameworks. The activities also include preparing policy briefs and convening a regional workshop with the League of Arab States and partners to disseminate results, share tools and lessons learned and support the mainstreaming of climate change into water-related policies.