12th meeting of Water Experts Group commences

AMMAN — The 12th meeting of the Water Experts Group kicked off on Monday in Amman with the participation of representatives of member states of the Union for Mediterranean (UfM) for Water, Environment and Economy.

The meeting aims at supporting efforts made by the union's member states to improve water security and promote water investments and entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean region through the implementation of UfM's Water Agenda, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

Secretary General of the Water Ministry Jihad Mahamid said that the two-day meeting will be discussing challenges to sustainable development and comprehensive growth in the water sector, praising the support and efforts of the UfM and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

He added that the UfM ministers in 2017 called for an ambitious cross-sector agenda to help countries identify their water needs and implement sustainable and integrated water management policies to guide efforts towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to adopting a coherent approach and advocating climate change adaptation and employment policies in the sector.

Mahamid noted that Jordan has recently worked with many partners to explore innovative tools for integrated water resources management to better prevent water crises and address water scarcity, yet the implementation faces big financial challenges.

The secretary general pointed out that a $1 trillion is needed annually to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals globally, and that 15 to 30 per cent of this amount should be channelled into the water sector, according to the World Bank Group. 

In this regard, he said that Jordan has requested for the Water Agenda to have a set financial strategy for the sector in the region to enhance financial sustainability.