Water Diplomacy and Governance in the MENA Region

Water resources in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are experiencing the adverse impacts of climatic and political change. In addition to environmental factors like declining rainfall and increasing surface water evaporation rates, politically induced factors, such as diplomatic disputes, suboptimal resource management, and armed conflict have significantly damaged the region’s aquifers, lakes, and rivers.

The impact of these factors is compounded by the transboundary nature of much of the MENA region’s water resources, which presents a significant challenge for regional water diplomacy and governance. As a result, states and policymakers in the region often choose to prioritize short-term national interests over regional diplomatic coordination, even though the latter is essential to ensuring long-term water sustainability.

Stakeholders in the region have responded to the (natural and politcally-induced) water scarcity challenge by cultivating regional cooperation to encourage knowledge sharing on this issue. Some local and global players are also increasingly calling for the protection of water infrastructure and resources from armed conflicts. These collaborative approaches improve water practices, revitalize diplomatic relations, and lay the groundwork for more comprehensive regional cooperation.

To deliberate on these challenges, the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council), the Blue Peace Middle East Initiative, and the Geneva Water Hub convened a roundtable with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in Qatar that brings together regional and global stakeholders to set a common agenda, identify shared policy priorities, and brainstorm ideas for results-oriented multi-sectoral engagements that improve regional relations and contribute to prosperity and stability.

The roundtable covered three core areas: water for peacebuilding, diplomacy, and governance. During the first day, participants discussed how water can be used for conflict management, resolution, and prevention, and assessed the performance of recent water diplomacy initiatives. This set the stage for the second day’s deliberations on how to fill the gaps in the region’s water governance frameworks. The organizers aim to produce a publication that highlights the key insights that emerge from the discussions and identifies research gaps, as well as setting a plan for follow-up events and engagements with relevant stakeholders.