Regional Mechanism

Since January 2019, Blue Peace Middle East has been led by a regionally owned structure 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.

Members of the Regional Mechanism meet several times a year to review progress of ongoing activities, discuss regional developments in the domain of water and sustainable development and develop new ideas and themes to advance the Blue Peace Middle East philosophy in 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 ecosystems, accommodating all its activities under the umbrella of its Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus Programme.

The Regional Mechanism works closely with the Water Diplomacy Center (WDC), which forms the research and education track of the Blue Peace Middle East initiative. The centre was established in 2019 at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) and started operating as a hub for water diplomacy in the MENA region in 2020.

Structure

 The Regional Mechanism is structured as follows:

 - The top-tier Policy Advisory Committee, made up of high-profile thought leaders and chaired by HRH Prince el Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, forms the link between the Regional Mechanism and decision makers in the region.

 - The Managing Committee, which sets the initiative’s priorities and identifies thematic activities, is made up of water experts from the different member countries. It is the engine that guides and governs the Regional Mechanism.

 - The Coordination Office supports the Managing Committee in a facilitating and executive role. The Amman-based intergovernmental organization INWRDAM currently serves as the initiative’s Coordination Office. Previously, the Turkish Water Institute (SUEN) fulfilled this role from 2019 to 2022.