Debating the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus in the MENA and wider MediterraneanBeirut, 26-28 November 2018

The Roundtable was held on 26-28 November 2018, in Beirut, Lebanon, under the auspices of the Lebanese Ministry of Energy and Water and in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP MAP).

Organised by the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med), the Roundtable represents a solid example of working in synergy. Further to forming core part of the “Making Water Cooperation Happen in the Mediterranean” (Water Matchmaker) Project supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Roundtable was conducted in collaboration with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) / UNEP MAP MedProgramme, the “Water, Climate and Development Programme” (WACDEP)  implemented by GWP, and the work of the UfM Water Agenda’s Nexus Task Force.

Over the course of three days, and through high level interventions, targeted presentations, panel exchanges and facilitated discussion, the participants of the Roundtable:

• acknowledged that one of the major challenges our societies face is how to deliver water, energy and food for all in a sustainable and equitable way, while preserving the health of natural systems that form the basis of any economic activity;
• widely accepted that interlinkages across water, energy and food systems are manifold and expected to intensify, especially in the MENA Region where water is increasingly scarce, food balance is in deficit, existing and potential energy sources are in need of further development, efficiencies in the use of resources are low, important ecosystems are increasingly threatened;
• admitted that the fragile security in these resources is expected to be further threatened due to the impacts of climate change but also due to population growth and changing consumption patterns;
• identified the special circumstances in the MENA region, its extreme challenges, and the importance of diplomacy and cooperation to overcome potential conflicts around water and energy;
• shared valuable insights on the benefits, the options and the tools for adopting a Nexus approach, an integrated and efficient approach in the management of these resources and the relevant experience at the national and regional level; and
• resolved that water needs to be viewed both as a problem and as a solution; although the connection among sectors is evident, there is a need to better understand that improvements in the individual sectors have cumulative positive impact on the nexus systems as well.