Water Security in the Middle East

An international initiative on Water Security in the Middle East was launched at Montreux, Switzerland,
on February 15-16, with two workshops attracting the participation of 60 leading policymakers, including
members of Parliament, former Cabinet Ministers, senior leaders of Water Commissions and heads of
research institutions from across the Middle East.

The initiative is steered by the Strategic Foresight Group (SFG). The two workshops in Montreux were
co-hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swedish
International Development Agency (Sida), with support from Political Affairs Division IV for Human
Security of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign affairs. In preparation for the workshops, SFG had
held consultations with leaders in the Middle East, including the President of Turkey, Foreign Affairs
and Irrigation Ministers of Syria, Chief of the Royal Court of Jordan, and distinguished experts from
several countries in the region. Following the two workshops, SFG will undertake further consultations
and participatory research in the region in order to find sustainable and collaborative solutions to water
security in the Middle East.

Switzerland and Sweden have decided to support this initiative since they share a similar vision
regarding peace, human rights, economic growth and environment for the Middle East. Both countries
uphold efforts for the improvement of water security of this region.

Workshop I on February 15, 2010 focussed on Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey. Workshop II on
February 16, 2010 focussed on Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories. While the two workshops
were separately held on two consecutive days at the same venue, it was obvious that the challenges
of water security were interlinked and required a regional approach.