At the second Planetary Security Initiative Conference of December 2016, a working group focusing on the MENA region discussed the need to build resilience towards resource scarcity through an integrated approach to water, energy and food management. The recommendation was to turn from theoretical studies to action by engaging in a dialogue with relevant policy makers from countries in the region. It was suggested to build upon existing initiatives and successful examples of integrated planning in order to identify possible areas and scales for national integrated planning and regional cooperation
Therefore, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut (AUB) has taken the initiative to organize a sub- regional policy dialogue for the Levant as part of the Planetary Security Initiative. The aim is to contribute to the development of an integrated approach to the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus.
The first workshop of the policy dialogue is taking place in Amman Jordan on the 4th and 5th of October, 2017 and will include representatives of ministries of Water, Agriculture and Energy of Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Palestine. The second consultation meeting will take place at AUB in Beirut, Lebanon on 23- 24 November, 2017.
The aim of the policy dialogue meetings in Amman and Beirut is to identify modalities for regional cooperation or collaboration using the WEF Nexus Approach as a vehicle. The objectives are to propose policy recommendations that can be adopted on both national and regional levels based on shared experiences of existing challenges, opportunities, and initiatives. Furthermore, through the dialogue process we hope to identify pilot projects that could be replicated in all participating Levant countries that are scalable and could inform national and regional policy on the benefits of a WEF approach to planning. Outcomes of the workshops will be shared on social media and at the Planetary Security Conference in The Hague, December 13, 2017.
For more information, please contact Nadim Farajalla (nf06@aub.edu.lb) or Rana El-Hajj (re15@aub.edu.lb) from the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs of the American University of Beirut.
