SIWI to open new regional office in Jordan
SIWI's new regional office will be located in the capital city of Amman. Image: Shutterstock SIWI will increase its presence in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region by opening an office in Amman, Jordan. This development can have a huge impact for water governance in MENA, and vice-versa, where the world can learn from the resilience of some of the most water stressed countries in the world.
What is to become the latest of SIWI’s three regional offices, is of great importance since MENA is the most water stressed region in the world, and Jordan the second most water scarce country in the world. Current trends imply that by 2025, Jordan could fall in the worst category of countries facing water shortage.
Presenting the planned office during a recent visit to Jordan, SIWI’s Executive Director Torgny Holmgren said that, “We feel that SIWI should contribute with our knowledge and expertise in this water-scarce region, especially in face of the worsening climate crisis. Our operations in MENA have grown substantially in recent years, and the demand is likely to grow further. We are therefore happy to be opening a new regional office in Amman.”
SIWI in Jordan
SIWI’s presence in the MENA region is critical when it comes to water governance, according to Manal Sami Alshraideh, Programme Officer for Water and Sanitation at SIWI. Alshraideh is Jordanian and believes that ”it is a big milestone” to have the regional office in Amman, as the city is a regional hub for several international and development organisations.
Manal has worked at SIWI for over a year. She says that “SIWI is unique when it comes to governance knowledge. There are gaps in MENA in linking the governance and integrity aspect to finance, institutional development, integrity, polices and strategy needed for adaptation to the changing climate situation. This knowledge is especially critical when developing national action plans, policies and strategies to align with international priorities and agreements.”
“The world can learn from how these countries have learned to survive in such environments.”
Jordan’s value in the water dialogue
14 of the 17 most water stressed countries in the world are in MENA. “The world can learn from how these countries have learned to survive in such environments” Alshraideh explains that around 90% of treated wastewater is being reused and contributes to Jordan’s national water budget. “This is huge compared to most other countries in the world. It also means that the government has an institutional framework in place, has developed informed policies and standards for effluents for reusing water for agriculture, as well as discharging water in open sources.”
Past and ongoing work in MENA
The UNICEF MENA Regional Office and SIWI have worked in partnership from 2018 to 2022, to strengthen systems that operate in the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) space.
The partnership has supported the countries of Iran, Iraq, Djibouti, Tunisia, Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Lybia, Lebanon in areas of WASH, water scarcity and climate change.
SIWI has signed a new agreement with UNICEF to continue further work until 2025. The objective is to support UNICEF country offices with strengthening engagement with regional, national and local governments and other stakeholders, to secure and sustain WASH service delivery in the context of water scarcity and climate change pressures.
In addition, SIDA is an active partner in the MENA region, and future scope involves expanding SIWI’s work beyond WASH.
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SIWI's headquarters is located in Stockholm. Our regional offices are located in Bogota and Pretoria. You can get in touch with us for more information on the upcoming office in Amman.
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