Global Steps representing Lebanon in the WaterSum2017

April 23, 2018

A specialized Lebanese delegation, including researchers and stakeholders in the field of environment and water from Global Steps and members of several ministries, participated in WaterSum project organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute in Tunisia and serves as the annual global forum for all stakeholders to discuss water issues.

The conference was held in 2017 focused on water sustainability growth addressing the theme “Water resources management under climate change”, in the presence of those responsible for water planning and management in the Middle East and North Africa region, including ministry officials, water authorities and supply companies for Water and sanitation, agricultural development offices and research organizations.

The Lebanese delegation participated in several workshops, which were designed by the organizers as an effective platform for exchanging information on the best experiences on water demand management and adaptation to climate change among policymakers, water management authorities, experts and partners in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as encouraging discussions on successful and replicable practices and experiences, on the preconditions for the implementation of successful measures on WDM and adaptation measures.

The participants including Global Steps team presented a feedback regarding their project outcome expectations, WDM, and adaptation to climate change issues, to identify future needs for expertise and capacity-building among practitioners responsible for managing water resources, at the national and regional levels.

In the early days of the deliberations, a need for political and institutional reforms in the MENA region was revealed, such as involving water users in decision-making, adopting cost recovery, making strategic decisions on water distribution, and mainstreaming a culture of climate change into relevant policies Strategies, and facilitating the involvement of the private sector, stakeholders and local communities is key to supporting climate change adaptation efforts in the Middle East.

Global Steps within its participation in such summits promotes initiatives and projects related to environmental management, low carbon economy, resilience to climate change, natural resource management and environmental conservation through its partnerships.

We are a member of the Arab Water Council AWC in (Egypt) in partnership with the public sector through cooperation with the relevant ministries in Lebanon (Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Energy and Water Resources) aiming to build the capacities of research and interested staff from the organization and the relevant ministries through participation in local and regional conferences and training, based on our partnership with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)