Amman: A regional conference to launch the 2025 Arab Watch Report on the Right to Water and Climate Change opened in Amman on Sunday, bringing together policymakers, researchers, experts and representatives of national, regional and international organizations to examine water governance and climate-related challenges across the Arab region.
According to Jordan News Agency, the two-day conference is organized by the Arab NGO Network for Development in partnership with the Dibeen Association for Environmental Development and several local and regional organizations specializing in environmental and human rights issues. Participants are attending from Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Qatar, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Yemen and Syria.
Assistant Secretary General of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for Technical Affairs Dr. Thaer Momani said Jordan continues to treat water security as a national priority and a cornerstone of the Kingdom's economic and social development despite being among the world's five most water-scarce countries.
He said the National Water Strategy 2023-2040 provides a comprehensive framework for managing the sector by enhancing water supply security, reducing water losses, protecting groundwater resources, expanding the reuse of treated wastewater and modernizing water infrastructure.
Momani described the National Water Carrier Project as a strategic pillar of Jordan's long-term water security rather than merely an infrastructure project, noting that it represents one of the country's most significant investments in securing future water resources.
Executive Director of the Dibeen Association for Environmental Development Hala Murad said the Arab Watch reports demonstrate that the Arab region's water crisis extends beyond natural scarcity, arguing that water deprivation is closely linked to governance models that determine whether water is managed as a public right or a commercial commodity.
She stressed that access to water can only be fully realized when it is recognized as an enforceable human right, a shared public resource and a key element of climate justice.
The conference agenda includes an opening session followed by six specialized panel discussions covering the right to water in the Arab region and its links to sustainable development, governance frameworks and economic policies influencing water resource management.
Additional sessions will examine drought, climate change adaptation, water control and weaponization, as well as civil society advocacy efforts at both the national and regional levels.