SIWI Amman and UNICEF host Libya representatives for WASH exposure visit

SIWI’s Amman office, in collaboration with the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Libya Country Office, hosted representatives for a water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) exposure visit in Jordan. The aim was to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration within the water sector, and included representatives from Libya’s Ministry of Water Resources, the General Company for Water and Wastewater (GCWW), the Man-made River Project Execution and Management Authority (MMRA), and the General Desalination Company (GDC).

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Water governance

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Ellen Boyer Pokorny

Communications Manager,

Communications

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Lara Nassar

Programme Manager, WANA,

Water and Sanitation

On the first day of the exposure visit, SIWI and Libya representatives met at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, where they met with the Water Authority of Jordan as well as the Ministry of Water and Irrigation officials. They traveled next to the German Jordanian University, where they reviewed a success story from the WASH Masters programme.

The following day, delegates moved to Aqaba, where they discussed the nexus approach on agriculture, solar, and water efficiency. On Tuesday, May 28th, participants met with the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority and the Aqaba Water Company where they discussed water management in the south.

SIWI Lara Nassar presenting in front of a group of people, in an office — no caption

On the final day, delegates met with the National Agricultural Research Center in Bagaa to discuss research, climate change adaptation in agriculture, flood management, and irrigation smart techniques. Following this, delegates met at the Al Samra wastewater treatment plant and with UNICEF MENARO/Co to discuss UNICEF Jordan’s experience.

Through interactive meetings, presentations, field visits, and networking events, delegates were able to discuss best practices for sustainable water policy design, resource management, and environmental protection. They took part in peer-to-peer exchanges of expertise, bridged borders through networking, and strengthened the overall capacities of the Libyan water sector in sustainable water management, climate resilient technology adoption and institutional development.

The importance of exchanging knowledge, experiences, and expertise in the WASH sector cannot be overstated

The lessons learned in Amman, and in the Western Africa Northern Asia (WANA) region in general, can help representatives in Libya and other regions to make more informed, sustainable, and climate resilient decisions.