Economic Implications of Climate Change and Water Scarcity in the Mashreq Region

Within the framework of the Mashreq Knowledge Initiative, ESCWA is organizing with the support of the World Bank a workshop on Economic Implications of Climate Change and Water Scarcity in the Mashreq Region. This meeting builds upon the previous workshop on Building Capacity for Accessing Disruptive Technologies for Improved Water Resources Management under Climate Change held earlier this year. The meeting will gather senior officials and experts from government institutions responsible for water resources management in the Mashreq region, namely government representatives from Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey.

The workshop aims to examine the implications of climate change and water scarcity on agricultural productivity and potential impacts on Mashreq region economies. The discussions will benefit from the findings of a World Bank report that examines the extent to which water scarcity and losses in crop yields due to climate change could affect economies in the region. Participants will also gain insights from work ESCWA has been supporting on regional climate modeling and agricultural productivity. They will be also informed of international financial flows for climate change adaptation in the region and will review different sources of funding, opportunities and challenges with regards to financing in transboundary water basins.

Additional Resources:

Workshop  on Accessing Disruptive Technologies for Improved Water Resources Management under Climate Change (Beirut, 14-15 January 2020) 
 
The Economic Impacts of Climate Change and Water Scarcity in the Middle East. World Bank, Washington, DC.
 
Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR) Regional Knowledge Hub.
 
ESCWA, Assessing the Impacts of Changing Water Availability on Agricultural Production in Selected Arab Countries.
 
Financing Climate Change Adaptation in Transboundary Basins: preparing bankable projects.
 
Water and Climate Change Adaptation in Transboundary Basins: Lessons Learned and Good Practices.