Governance structures for transboundary water management in the Jordan Basin

The work should be considered complementary to the Regional Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Master Plan for Sustainable Development in the Jordan Valley released in 2015 by EcoPeace Middle East and its partners SIWI and Global Nature Fund (GNF) with the support of the European Union’s Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) programme.

While recent trends towards increasing transboundary water cooperation are demonstrated by a growing number of River Basin Organisations (RBOs) globally, experts point to the variant effectiveness of these organisations to leverage the benefits of multi-lateral cooperation. Some form of regional governance is considered essential to achieve the goal of a rehabilitated Lower Jordan River, fair share of the basin water among the riparian’s and leverage the economic and geo-political benefits of cooperation for Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli communities along its banks. This report seeks to inform thinking as a potential starting point to formalize a basin governance structure.

SIWI has been contracted by EcoPeace Middle East to prepare a report presenting the options available for the development of a basin governance structure for the Lower Jordan River.