In December 2018, AIWF was proud to announce the official publication of the flagship Report & Recommendations which documents the high-level and impact-oriented recommendations to emerge from the two days of conference discussions held at the Joint Conference of AIWF and the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) held in Amman, Jordan on 26-27 September 2018, on Women, Water & Youth: Perspectives from the MENA Region. The report is available for download here.
The conference was an outstanding success for AIWF, CMI and all valued stakeholders, taking a unique intersectional approach to three of the Arab world’s most critical development challenges – water scarcity and food insecurity, women’s economic participation and youth unemployment. The conference was deeply enriched by the invaluable input and contributions of Key Stakeholders, all AIWF Global Partners and Conference Partners, the Union of Arab Chambers, PepsiCo, PwC and the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (CIHEAM).
AIWF is fully committed to following up on all recommendations through high-level action and advocacy towards full implementation in partnership and co-operation with our valued partners and stakeholders who share in the AIWF mission for a sustainable future for Arab women and young people. The two-day Women, Water & Youth conference was an excellent opportunity for all our organisations to bring into focus issues of shared and urgent concern around sustainability, water scarcity and food insecurity, women’s economic participation and leadership, the refugee crisis, and the ongoing challenge of youth unemployment.
The interaction that took place between the distinguished Opening Session Speakers, Panel Chairs, Guest Speakers and Delegates, attending from across Jordan, the MENA Region, the UK, EU and the US, was deeply impactful and highly insightful, as evidenced by the rich recommendations to emerge from the conference discussions.
In addition to distinguished partners at the CMI and the World Bank, guest speakers proudly contributing to the official report include world class specialists in the areas of sustainability, water resource management, refugee support and education, and women and youth empowerment together with representatives of leading international organisations, NGOs, academia, research institutes and the private sector, representing: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; the International Labour Organisation; the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; the United Nations Development Programme; Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia; the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari; the Water Authority of Jordan; the Palestinian Water Authority; and the Mediterranean Youth for Water Network, among many others.
Recommendations to emerge from the observations and valued contributions of all distinguished speakers covered critical areas for actions including improving water governance and technological innovation; advancing gender parity in sustainable agriculture; supporting specialised research and data; promoting public and private sector partnerships, support and investment for women-led sustainability projects, initiatives and social enterprises; building public awareness through STEM education; engaging young people and families / households in water conservation efforts; and addressing the critical challenges of the refugee and internal displacement crises in the region together with ongoing regional concerns around migration, job mobility and freedom of movement.
Women, Water & Youth reinforced AIWF’s steadfast focus on investing in women and youth in the Arab region and internationally whilst bringing awareness to regional sustainability challenges that, if unaddressed, will deeply reflect in the region’s future stability and prosperity. Addressing the nexus between water scarcity and food insecurity, women’s economic participation and the ongoing challenge of youth unemployment underscores AIWF’s deep and abiding commitment to efforts to realise the SDGs in the Arab world, and to the UN Global Compact Principles, which as a Global NGO Member AIWF is proud to contribute to and honour in all its programmes and initiatives.
The full Report and Recommendations are available in both English and Arabic for download from the AIWF website, and have been widely shared by AIWF with our partners and key contacts across the governmental, private sector and international development spheres, including the World Bank, the League of Arab States, UN organisations and agencies, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), USAID, the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari, the Water Authority of Jordan; the Palestinian Water Authority, the Mediterranean Youth for Water Network and the MENA-OECD Investment Programme.
AIWF now looks with great optimism to carrying the Women, Water & Youth initiative forward into the future and to working closely with all partners and participants to promote and action the many valuable recommendations to emerge from the conference. The AIWF Board, AIWF Global and Institutional Partners and international members remain available to all valued stakeholders for fruitful co-operation on future initiatives towards realising the recommendations of our conference in the region and towards achieving economic security, prosperity and progress for all.
The report is available for download here.
