Water — imperative for development and security
A few weeks ago, the world’s largest annual global water policy meeting, the World Water Week (www.worldwaterweek.org), was held in Stockholm, for the 26th consecutive time.
It gathered over 3,000 participants from well over 120 countries. The focus of the week was on “Water and sustainable growth”.
The World Water Week, organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute, is one of many manifestations of the global commitment that Sweden has to raising the attention of, as well as seeking solutions to, the global water crisis.
Today, when much of the attention is focused on the immediate threats to security and peace, we would like to highlight a key vulnerability that cannot be overshadowed by the more direct threats.
The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the most water scarce country in the world. Jordan is ranked as the fourth most water scarce country globally, and with the ongoing refugee crisis, the country suffers even more challenges relating to its water resources.
It is estimated that over 60 million people lack access to drinking water of an acceptable quality and over 70 million people lack access to adequate sanitation in the MENA region.
[Full article here | Photo by MarkOk]
