Jordan hosted a national workshop for the project “Sustainable Use of Transboundary Water Resources and Water Security Management” (Water SUM) at the Dead Sea Spa Hotel on March 15-16, 2015. More than 60 participants, representing national bodies and institutions responsible for water management, municipalities from across Jordan, academia and businesses, discussed start-up activities of this three-year (2014-2017), EUR 6 million project. The project is being implemented by the Regional Environmental Center (REC) and is funded by the Swedish International Development and Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Basem Telfah, the Secretary General of Ministry of Water and Irrigation of Jordan, confirmed the full support of his ministry and expressed hopes that Water SUM will contribute towards addressing main pressures related to scarce water resources and increased water demand in Jordan.
Anders Jagerskog, Counsellor at the Embassy of Sweden in Amman and responsible for regional development cooperation and water resources, announced the continuation of Swedish support to Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries over the next five years.
Radoje Lausevic, REC Deputy Executive Director and Water SUM project director, introduced the REC’s experts and management team who will work with relevant stakeholders in Jordan within the framework of two project components: Integrated Water Resources Management Good Practices and Knowledge Transfer (WATER POrT) and Water and Security (WaSe). He also announced the launch of the Water SUM web portal, which will serve as the project’s main information and knowledge-sharing tool.
The two-day workshop presented participants with an excellent opportunity to interact and discuss the planned list of actions and to agree on the next steps.
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