Water-Energy-Food nexus support to post-COVID-19 recovery

The Arab region is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and disruptions in food, water, and energy systems. These challenges, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, have exposed systemic weaknesses and highlighted the urgent need for integrated, resilient, and sustainable resource management. Food loss and waste remain persistent issues, driven by technical, infrastructural, and market-related challenges that affect the efficiency and sustainability of food supply chains.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is leading the “Food-Water-Energy nexus support to post-COVID-19 recovery in Eastern Europe, Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Middle East and Africa” project that promotes integrated management of food, water, and energy resources using the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus framework. ESCWA contributes to project components that address food security in the Arab region through food loss reduction and promoting sustainable resource use.

Our approach

The approach of ESCWA combines digital innovation and integrated resource management to support food security in the Arab region. The work focuses on two complementary entry points:

• Agri-e-commerce: Promoting the use of digital platforms to reduce food loss by improving market access, efficiency, and connectivity in agricultural supply chains.
• WEF Nexus: Encouraging cross-sectoral coordination to optimize the use of natural resources and reduce inefficiencies that contribute to food loss.

The project includes regional and national-level activities. While Algeria and Iraq are pilot countries for tailored policy support, the tools and knowledge developed are designed to inform broader policymaking and can be adapted by other Arab countries.

Our partners

This initiative is funded by the United Nations Development Account.

It brings together a range of partners and stakeholders at the regional and national levels:

Implementing Partners

• ESCWA – Regional implementing partner for the Arab region.
• UNECE – Lead agency of the project.

Regional Collaborators

• Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) – Collaborated on the development of regional and national guidelines and policy briefs.

National Stakeholders

Government institutions and policymakers in Algeria and Iraq.

Beneficiaries

• Policymakers and technical experts working on food systems, e-commerce, and WEF Nexus planning.
• Farmers and agricultural producers.
• Agri-e-commerce platform entrepreneurs and service providers, supporting the digital transformation of agricultural trade.
• Supporting organizations and institutions involved in food systems, rural development, and digital innovation across the Arab region.
• Other Arab countries

Our activities

The activities of ESCWA focus on supporting Arab countries through a mix of regional and national-level outputs, including:

• Developing regional and national guidelines in Algeria and Iraq to promote the use of e-commerce in agriculture
• Drafting policy briefs for Algeria and Iraq on applying the WEF Nexus approach to reduce food loss and improve resource efficiency
• Organizing a regional meeting to present and discuss these outputs.