HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan has stepped down from the United Nations Secretary General�€™s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), to be able to spend more time to provide strategic direction to the High Level Forum on Blue Peace in the Middle East of Strategic Foresight Group (SFG) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). He will also guide a new initiative of SFG and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) focused on vulnerable segments of population in the Middle East.

The following press release was issues by El Majlis El Hassan at the Royal Palace Amman.

Monday, 7 July 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE EL HASSAN BIN TALAL LAUNCHES NEW REGIONAL WATER INITIATIVE AFTER RESIGNING FROM UNSGAB

New study to pinpoint causality between water scarcity and unrest in the Middle East

HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal has announced a new initiative to help build peace and security in the Arab world through regional cooperation on water conservation and management.

HRH will assume the chairmanship of the High Level Forum for the Blue Peace Middle East plan with immediate effect. The High Level Forum is a direct result of collaboration with the Strategic Foresight Group, an international think tank headquartered in Mumbai.

As part of his new role, HRH will provide strategic guidance and input to the work of the forum in identifying vulnerable segments of society in West Asian countries that are deprived of water due to violence, migration, climate change and other factors. The new initiative will first map precise localities and communities in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey that are facing a shortage of water, before moving on to propose water inclusion policies for the countries in the region.

The High Level Forum will build on the earlier work carried out by HRH and the Strategic Foresight Group in the area of water conservation and management.  Most recently, the High Level Group working along with organisations such as the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and Swiss Agency for Development and Corporation (SDC) produced a strategic roadmap for water cooperation entitled: �€œWater Cooperation for a Secure World.�€

The report pioneered the revolutionary �€œCircles of Cooperation�€ approach, which calls for countries to develop deep, policy level cooperation on an inter-regional level. Out of the 148 countries that share trans-boundary resources in the world, no two countries engaged in active water cooperation go to war for any reason. Conversely, countries that have avoided water cooperation, such as those in the Middle East are at active risk of war.

An acute shortage of water poses a grave threat to long term human security in the West Asia and North Africa region. Due to overuse, the aquifer on the Gaza Israel border that supplies water for over 1.6 million people is expected to be unusable after 2020. Over the last 50 years, the flow of the Jordan River has more than halved. River flows in Turkey, Syria and Iraq have depleted by 50 per cent to 90 per cent. Furthermore, 45 million people are at risk in Egypt within the next two decades with the rise in water levels of the Mediterranean. These challenges pose a long-term risk to peace and stability in the region.

Earlier this year, HRH stepped down from the chairmanship at the United Nations Secretary-General�€™s Advisory Board (UNSGAB) to be better able to focus on promoting equitable and durable solutions to water and sanitation across the region.

�€œThe present conflict in Syria, that was in part caused by prolonged drought, presents a bellwether of future societal breakdown across the entire region, which must urgently be averted,�€ HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal said. �€œWe need to stop focusing exclusively on militarily security and develop long-term solutions that further human security for the people in the region.�€

ENDS

For further information contact:

Tracy Hicks

Falha Brezat