Frequently Asked Questions

Blue Peace Middle East: Unified Messaging Narrative of the Initiative

Blue Peace Middle East is the first and only regionally owned initiative that aims to strengthen cooperation over water across borders, utilizing dialogue, capacity building, and concrete action to leverage the power of water for a better future in the Middle East. Our geographical reach spans six countries: Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye, Iran, and Syria. Through collaboration with senior water experts, academics, politicians, and journalists, this initiative represents track 1.5 diplomacy aimed at enhancing the region’s water, food, and energy security while preserving ecosystems in the face of a changing climate.
Blue Peace Middle East was jointly launched in 2010 by the Strategic Foresight Group (SFG), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal. The initiative promoted a regional vision for water management and cooperation. In 2018, the initiative entered the institutionalization phase, yielding to the establishment of the Regional Mechanism in 2019. Since January 2019, Blue Peace Middle East has been led by a regionally owned structure; the Regional Mechanism made up of members from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye. Through its various activities, the Regional Mechanism facilitates political and technical dialogue about water and supports the implementation of regional projects, knowledge exchange and capacity-building activities in member countries.
The Blue Peace ME Regional Mechanism is organized into a three-tier structure to ensure effective governance and coordination. The top-tier is the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), which includes influential regional members and is chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. The Managing Committee (MC) is responsible for setting the initiative's priorities and identifying thematic activities. The Coordination Office (CO) is the executive arm of the mechanism, supports both the PAC and MC in achieving their objectives, ensuring smooth implementation and coordination of the initiative’s activities across the region. This structure enables collaboration across levels of influence and expertise, bridging official and unofficial channels to drive meaningful regional change.
The Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), chaired by HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, is Composed of influential regional policymakers and leaders, the PAC provides strategic guidance, aligning the initiative with high-level regional priorities and fostering political will for transboundary water cooperation. Its role is vital in shaping the initiative’s strategic direction and ensuring that Blue Peace ME addresses key challenges in water, food, energy, and ecosystem security across its geographical scope. By engaging at the highest levels of decision-making, the PAC bridges regional needs with international best practices.
The Managing Committee (MC) is composed of water experts from the different member countries and serves as the engine that guides and governs the Regional Mechanism, by setting the initiative's priorities, identifying thematic activities, and bridging technical expertise with the high-level strategic direction provided by the PAC Through their expertise and collaboration, the MC plays a critical role in fostering technical solutions, promoting coordinated efforts among member states, and translating strategic guidance from the PAC into actionable plans. This ensures the initiative remains inclusive, adaptive, and impactful across the region.
Water scarcity is a critical issue in the Middle East, exacerbated by climate change, population growth, and geopolitical tensions. Blue Peace ME aims to create a framework for dialogue and cooperation, enhancing water security and fostering stability through water management strategies. As we also recognize that sustainable management of water resources impacts food security, energy production and the environment, Blue Peace ME promotes collaborative approaches that consider the interdependencies between these sectors to achieve holistic solutions.
The primary goals include promoting regional cooperation on water issues in the countries within Blue Peace ME’s geographical reach from a WEFE Nexus approach, ensuring dialogue and supporting sustainable practices in water, energy, food and ecosystems, transforming water from a potential source of conflict into a catalyst for cooperation and peace.
The initiative employs a multi-layered approach, including advocating for evidence-based policy reforms, sharing best practices, promoting technology transfer, building the region capacity in water diplomacy through structured education, and encouraging investments in water infrastructure and conservation projects. It uses research, dialogue, capacity building, and concrete actions— including pilot projects—to realize its vision of leveraging water to build a better future for the region.
Since January 2023, the Regional Mechanism has broadened the scope of its activities from a narrow focus on water to a broader view of the intersection between water, energy, food and ecosystem, accommodating all its activities under the umbrella of its Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) nexus Programme. The initiative promotes collaborative approaches that consider these interdependencies to achieve comprehensive solutions.
Successful projects include effective dialogue mechanisms that facilitate water diplomacy over transboundary water resources, capacity building workshops, targeted education through initiating master’s program in water diplomacy, knowledge exchange and study tours on sustainable practices, partnerships between countries for resource sharing, the creation of a Regional Water Exchange Hub, and two pilot projects that exemplify holistic approaches to water management under the WEFE nexus umbrella.
The key stakeholders in Blue Peace Middle East (Blue Peace ME) include government agencies from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye, as well as regional and international organizations, NGOs, and local communities reaching to Syria and Iran. The main donor supporting the initiative is the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), since 2016. Key partners include: the Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM), Water Diplomacy Center, Cewas Middle East, Media in Cooperation and Transition (MiCT), Turkish Water Institute (SUEN), IHE Delft and Geneva Water Hub. These stakeholders collaborate to promote sustainable water management, and regional cooperation in the Middle East.
The Regional Water Exchange Hub serves as the premier platform where media intersects with science and policy, fostering transparent dialogue, advancing innovative WEFE-related journalism, and advocating solutions for water and WEFE Nexus challenges in the Middle East.
The media pillar aims to engage various platforms to disseminate information, share success stories, and highlight the importance of sustainable water management and the WEFE Nexus approach. The Blue Peace ME media hub is developing a regional platform focused on water and WEFE journalism, knowledge sharing, and communication. This platform bridges the gap between science, policy-making, and regional media, enabling WEFE-related exchanges and information sharing among journalists and media influencers.
The Youth Fellowship Programme is first regional water diplomacy youth incubator, designed to engage young leaders in water diplomacy, transboundary water management and the WEFE Nexus approach. It offers training, networking opportunities, and practical experience in addressing regional water challenges. Interested individuals can find information on how to register through the Blue Peace ME website. The programme is open to youth from the member and observer countries of Blue Peace ME.
The Coordination Office of Blue Peace ME is currently hosted at INWRDAM (Inter-Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management). This partnership provides a supportive institutional framework, enhancing Blue Peace ME's capacity to address regional water challenges. INWRDAM plays a crucial role in leading the WEFE activities of the initiative under the framework of its WEFE hub. This allows Blue Peace ME to integrate scientific and technical expertise into its programmes, ensuring effective regional implementation of the WEFE nexus.
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), in addition to other partners launched Blue Peace ME. Since 2016, SDC has become the exclusive donor for the initiative, providing critical support to its programmes and activities. The initiative was established to address the critical water challenges facing the region through enhanced cooperation and dialogue among member states. SDC continues to support the initiative with financial resources and technical expertise to foster sustainable water management and development in the Middle East.
The Water Diplomacy Center (WDC), established in 2019 at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), through the Blue Peace ME serves as the research and education arm of Blue Peace Middle East. It acts as a hub for water diplomacy in the region, conducting research and offering educational programs that address regional water challenges. As part of the initiative's educational pillar, the WDC delivers training, academic programs, and capacity-building activities focusing on water diplomacy and the WEFE nexus. In addition, the WDC has developed Research Fellowship Programs to support graduate students (MS and PhD) working on water diplomacy and provides a Master of Science in Water Diplomacy to equip students with the necessary skills to tackle global water challenges.
Blue Peace ME partners with MiCT (Media in Cooperation and Transition) and Cewas Middle East, in the media and awareness activities, leveraging MiCT’s media expertise and Cewas’s technical knowledge to promote sustainable water governance and transboundary cooperation among various audiences.
Interested individuals can stay informed by following Blue Peace ME’s official website and social media channels, where updates on projects, events, training sessions, and research are regularly shared.
Individuals can raise awareness about water issues, advocate for sustainable practices in their communities, and participate in local initiatives aimed at improving water conservation and management. Blue Peace ME offers various training opportunities related to the WEFE Nexus, water diplomacy, media trainings and water management. Also, we have opened a Call for Experts for experts interested in contributing. For further details, individuals are encouraged to contact the Coordination Office (CO) at info@bluepeaceme.org.