WMO Blue Peace - Water Security in the Middle East: Strategic Management of Hydrological and Meteorological Data and Information Product Generation Al-Hamndou Dorsouma, Senior Programme Manager, WMO Resource Mobilization Office Project Inception Workshop, Geneva, January 2013 WMO; RMO

Background  Middle East is one of the driest regions in the world: arid to semi-arid climate, less than 100 mm of rainfall p.a.  Limited water resources, low per capita share of water, and weak management of available water resources are threatening sustainable development in vital sectors.  IPCC reports:  20% precipitation decrease over the next century  Likely increase in the frequency and severity of droughts  Reduction in groundwater recharge rates.  Over 60% of the region's water supply flows across international borders, underlining the need for regional cooperation  A High Level Group on regional water cooperation in the Middle East was launched in April 2012

WMO Problems to be addressed  Data Management Issues:  High cost of in-situ data collection and analysis  Lack of data management systems and standardized methods/protocols for data collection, management and validation across the region  Limited use of reliable local and regional water information systems  Leveraging Innovation  Declining hydro-meteorological monitoring network  Limited use of remote sensing techniques to monitor hydrological extremes (floods and droughts), water quality, and to support hydrological models.  Need for improved frameworks to assimilate or integrate remote sensing data into hydrological modeling systems

Problems to be addressed (Cont’d)  Traditional In-situ Methods of Observation and New Technologies  Need for sufficient in-situ measurements against which remote sensing algorithms can be validated and improved  Need for continued education and training on new data sources, such as satellite remote sensing and radar, …  Need to balance traditional in-situ hydro-meteorological systems and latest technical innovations from remote sensing and Earth observations

Project Goal  Strengthen the delivery of weather, water, and climate services in Middle East countries, to support economic development and disaster risk management  Help key national stakeholders to develop an action plan to improve hydro meteorological standards, processes and capacities, both in-situ and through innovative technologies

Specific objectives  Develop a methodology for comparative analysis and harmonization of national protocols, guidelines and practical measures to standardize hydro-meteorological measurements of water quantity and quality in accordance with WMO standards  Develop a regional Memorandum of Understanding between NMHSs to reinforce the interoperability of information systems, and establish a platform/database for consolidation and sharing of water related data  Recommend a prioritized plan of improvement of data delivery to national users, to be financed under subsequent phases together with countries and development partners.

Project Outputs  Outputs of the First Phase ( ):  OUTPUT 1: Needs Assessment on Jordan and Lebanon, to form a baseline, identify end user needs and regional coordination issues  OUTPUT 2: Inception meeting  OUTPUT 3: Draft prioritized plan of improvement of data delivery to national users.  OUTPUT 4: Regional Stakeholder Workshop to agree on the prioritized plan.  OUTPUT 5: Initiate priority pilot project (s) based on the needs assessments, included in the prioritized plan and as agreed at the regional workshop.

Deliverables  Deliverable 1: Assessment report on Lebanon  Deliverable 2: Assessment report on Jordan  Deliverable 3: Draft project proposal on enhancing the capacity to provide hydro meteorological services  Deliverable 4: Regional Agreement on regional information systems, and regional platform/database  Deliverable 5: Final Report outlining main priorities for developing modern services for weather, climate and hydrology in the Middle East

Programme of activities

Project management  Steering Committee and Technical Coordination: High Level Group will act as a steering committee Regional technical Secretariat under RSS will coordinate the pilot projects to be designed  WMO will be responsible for Outputs 1, 2 and 3  RSS will be responsible for Outputs 2 and 4  Responsibilities for Output 5 will be defined at the Stakeholder Workshop, depending on the nature and scope of the selected pilot project(s)  Swiss Actors

Partnerships/coordination  Global Environment Facility (GEF) / World Bank project recently approved (mid-2011) to improve water resources and agricultural management and planning in Middle East (including Lebanon and Jordan) based on quantitative and spatial-based decision making tools  United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR): collaboration on shared water resources and integrated management and protection of water resources  EXACT (with Israel, Palestine, Jordan): technical cooperation through global agencies such as WMO to ensure consistency and compatibility for procedures and standards.

Project Budget OutputBudget Output 149,000 Output 235,000 Output 353,000 Output 450,000 Contingency (5%)9,350 Total Activities196,350 Subtotal255,25.5 WMO Support cost 13% Total221,875.5

Conclusion  This project will help develop a comprehensive regional approach to improve hydro meteorological standards, processes and capacities in the Middle East  Phase 1 is to be completed before the end Next step (Phase 2) depends on the outcomes from Phase 1 and pending resource availability  WMO is commited to work with countries, RSS, the Middle East region, SDC and other partners to ensure success of the project and plan for subsequent phases  Coordination and regional cooperation are key for the success of this initiative.

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