Water governance in Jordan: Managing a scarce resource
Authors
Lund, Ida Amalie Rahbek ; Kieweg, Laura Franziska Elisabeth
Term
4. term
Publication year
2019
Abstract
Water scarcity is a global challenge, and Jordan is among the world’s most water-stressed countries, shaped by aridity, climate change, transboundary dependencies, and population growth, including refugee inflows. This thesis examines the Jordanian government’s actions to manage scarce water resources and the strategies used to strengthen effective and sustainable water governance. It develops a theoretical framework on global governance and effective water governance to illuminate the multiple levels and actors involved, and applies the OECD Principles on Water Governance (focusing on effectiveness) as an analytical lens to assess performance and progress toward tangible objectives. The analysis indicates that Jordan’s water governance is becoming increasingly effective, particularly through innovation in water-intensive sectors such as irrigated agriculture and the adoption of new water extraction technologies that support both sustainability and socio-economic development. The study also highlights broad stakeholder inclusion, notably international and regional partners, as crucial for managing transboundary resources and reducing the risk of conflict. Substantial technical and knowledge support from international organizations has enabled implementation, suggesting a strong external interest in mitigating water-scarcity risks and enhancing regional stability.
Vandknaphed er en global udfordring, og Jordan er blandt verdens mest vandstressede lande, påvirket af ariditet, klimaforandringer, transnationale vandafhængigheder og befolkningsvækst, herunder flygtningetilstrømning. Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan den jordanske regering handler for at håndtere knappe vandressourcer, og hvilke strategier der styrker effektiv og bæredygtig vandforvaltning. Med en teoretisk ramme for global governance og effektiv vandforvaltning belyses de niveauer og aktører, der indgår i systemet, og OECD’s principper for vandforvaltning (med fokus på effektivitet) anvendes som analyseramme til at vurdere præstation og fremdrift mod konkrete mål. Analysen peger på, at Jordans vandforvaltning bliver stadig mere effektiv, især gennem innovation i vandintensive sektorer som kunstvandet landbrug, samt gennem indførelse af nye teknologier til vandindvinding, der både støtter bæredygtighed og socioøkonomisk udvikling. Derudover fremhæves en bred inddragelse af interessenter, særligt internationale og regionale partnere, som er afgørende for håndteringen af grænseoverskridende ressourcer og for at mindske risikoen for konflikter. Betydelig teknisk og faglig støtte fra internationale organisationer har muliggjort implementeringen af flere tiltag, hvilket indikerer en interesse i at reducere vandrelaterede risici og fremme stabilitet i regionen.
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