UfM organises Amman workshop on water sector’s challenges

AMMAN — The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) on Tuesday announced they were marking World Water Day, celebrated on Friday, with workshops to foster best practices and financial strategies for the water sector.

The first workshop was held in Amman on Tuesday, with plans to hold more workshops across the region, according to a statement sent by the UfM, which added that the Amman workshop focused on enhancing the financial sustainability of the water sector in Jordan by developing a roadmap based on the UfM’s financial strategy for water.

Ali Subah, secretary general of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, stated during the workshop that “we are here today, in order to see the best way forward in order to keep services affordable, as well as... expand the supply infrastructure to sustain the services for the people of Jordan”.

According to the statement, the UfM’s financial strategy for water was developed to ensure safeguards on the availability of water resources while considering how these approaches can fit with national priorities.

EU Ambassador to Jordan Andrea Matteo Fontana said:”Our support complements the holistic approach followed by the government of Jordan in the water sector and hence it focuses not only on building new infrastructures but also on improving the sector’s governance.”

The Mediterranean region is one of the 25 “hotspots” around the world most impacted by climate change, according to the statement.

The UfM added that better planning for water resource allocation, adoption of incentives to increase water efficiency and investments in infrastructure can help achieve more secure and climate-resilient economies.