New avenues in Jordan

On Monday, 1 May 2023, SIWI and the Water Diplomacy Center (WDC) at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST University) signed a declaration of intention for future cooperation, targeting fields such as research, education, and implementation of joint projects.

Water cooperation Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

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Jakob Schabus

Communications Manager,

Communications

In early May, a SIWI delegation visited Jordan and the WDC at JUST University. The delegates met amongst others the Director of the Center, Dr. Majid Abu Zreig, and discussed ways of future cooperation. Over the course of the meeting, a declaration of intention between the two institutions was signed.

Manal Sami Alshraideh, Programme Officer in the Water and Sanitation Department at SIWI, was part of the delegation on-site. She has lived, studied, and worked in the region and outlines what the future cooperation between the two institutions could focus on: “There are many challenges to water cooperation and transboundary projects in the region including inadequate policy frameworks, lack of integrated approaches, limited stakeholder participation, financial constraints, as well as political and geopolitical factors. Creating an enabling environment for water governance requires addressing these challenges through coordinated efforts. Together we want to work towards building such an environment.”

“The WDC's expertise includes water cooperation, hydrological studies, and regional water governance. This aligns with SIWI’s work on promoting water cooperation, integrated water resource management, and sustainable water governance frameworks. Both institutions have long-standing experience in conducting research and strengthening collaboration.”

Manal Sami Alshraideh, Programme Officer, SIWI, outlining the strength of the cooperation

According to Al Shraideh, collaboration between SIWI and the WDC could therefore “potentially enhance the field of water governance, contribute to addressing water cooperation challenges, and ultimately ease the implementation of projects in the region.”

The declaration of intention outlines several potential fields of cooperation such as education, training, and research and includes activities such as joint project implementation, faculty, and student mobility, as well as capacity development and training.

Aside from the new agreement, JUST University and SIWI have been cooperating for a long time. Starting from 2014, both institutions started carrying out a regional project around capacity building and water governance.