The United Nations Development Account Project on Developing Capacities of ESCWA Member Countries to address the Water and Energy Nexus for Achieving SDGs seeks to assist countries to build their capacity to examine and address the water-energy nexus to reduce inefficiencies at both the policy and technical levels.
 
This project is being implemented through two parallel and complementary tracks. The first targets high-level officials in ministries for water and energy who will be trained on how to incorporate the water and energy nexus in their strategies, policies and plans at the national and regional levels through a regional policy tool kit, their participation in two regional policy workshops, and the implementation of up to three pilot projects focused on applying a water-energy nexus policy tool. The second track will focus on water and energy public service providers.
 
The topics covered by the policy tool kit and its seven modules have been vetted and agreed upon in a regional intergovernmental process involving members of the ESCWA Committee on Water Resources and ESCWA Committee on Energy or their designated representatives.
 
The workshop aims to present the policy toolkit, build understanding of the water-energy nexus framework for advancing sustainable development, discuss the opportunities and challenges of a nexus approach within the context of existing regional institutional and policy frameworks, and provide training on promoting integrated strategies and policies on the water-energy nexus.
 
Participants of this workshop will be invited to identify a policy tool or instrument that supports mainstreaming water-energy nexus considerations at national level and member countries will be invited to prepare proposals for piloting or testing them at the national level.  Up to three proposals will be accepted upon review by ESCWA and will receive technical support and advisory assistance. Lessons from these three pilot projects will be presented at the second policy workshop.