With one of the highest rates of water scarcity globally, the Arab region is facing a critical freshwater situation. As the demand for water is expected to increase, Arab countries need to adapt to address the combined challenges associated with a rapidly growing population, economic development, environmental considerations and climate change. Hence, there is a need to accelerate the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) and innovate ways to manage competing demands on this valuable resource.  

In line with this, the Arab Ministerial Water Council included the advancement of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) principles among the objectives of the 2010-2030 Arab Strategy for Water Security. All Arab countries are also committed to the vision of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including target 6.5.1 on the implementation of IWRM.   

The recent “2021 Status Report on the Implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in the Arab Region”, a culmination of fruitful cooperation between the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and UNEP-DHI, provides a progress update on implementing IWRM in the region and identifies priority areas that will help accelerate full implementation.   

This webinar takes as a point of departure the recent report and informs on the progress of implementation of IWRM in the Arab region, discussing some of the key factors that have been found to enable IWRM implementation, and how countries can access support in reporting, planning, and implementing IWRM. Over 50 participants from almost all 22 countries in the region took part in the webinar.