All countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are currently facing a variety of water challenges.

Some countries are faced with a lack of water (Jordan), whereas  others have enough water, but it is unequally distributed across their country (like in Morocco and Tunisia). There are also countries that are faced with transboundary issues (like Egypt and Iraq), where dams built in neighbouring countries threaten the flow of water, or aquifers are drained and not sufficiently recharged.

How can you improve cooperation and integrate water management to achieve solutions for such complex challenges?

Clingendael  Academy, IHE-Delft and Waterfocus bring together 11 countries from the entire MENA region for two weeks of training in the Netherlands. The training is part of the Shiraka (‘partnership’ in Arabic) Training Programme, which is funded by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

At Clingendael, they:

• Share their experiences and expertise with one another;
• Sharpen their skills to cooperate and negotiate; 
• Gain valuable insights in the Dutch model for water management.

By training together, by pooling data and expertise, and by exchanging best practices the participants will build lasting partnerships and networks amongst themselves for the future,  and a lasting bond with the Netherlands in particular.