Workshop on transboundary water governance concludes at JUST

AMMAN — A three-day virtual workshop on transboundary water governance at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) concluded on Thursday, according to a statement from the institution.

The online workshop is one of a series of workshops designed to build knowledge and capacity for participants, as well as promote integrated management of transboundary water resources, with a focus on water law and water diplomacy, the statement said.

President of JUST Saeb Khreisat opened the workshop with the announcement of the university’s launch of a thematic institution, the Water Diplomacy Centre (WDC), which was established at the end of 2019 with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation as part of its Blue Peace initiatives. 

The “water sector plays a large role in the sustainable growth of any country, and this is especially important for Jordan, as it is considered one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of the per capita share of water for its growing population”, Khreisat was quoted in the statement as saying.

The Dean of the College of Engineering and the Director of the WDC, Suhail Kiwan, spoke about the vision of the centre in addressing the “uncoordinated use of shared water resources”, as well as the future aspirations of the WDC to become a regional centre for coordinating research and studies, and to provide knowledge building workshops in the field of water and diplomacy in the Middle East, read the statement. 

Kiwan said that the centre aims to update knowledge and enhance the ability of decision-makers in addressing issues related to integrated water resource management and transboundary cooperation as part of the region’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goal 6 (“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”).

During the three-day workshop, a number of international experts, including representatives of the Secretariat of the UNECE Water Convention and UN ESCWA, provided lectures and answered questions on integrated water resources management, international water law and case studies on transboundary water cooperation. International experts and researchers from Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, as well as Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK participated in the workshop, according to the statement.