Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

Der Weltwassertag der Vereinten Nationen am 22. März steht dieses Jahr unter dem Motto: Grundwasser – das Unsichtbare sichtbar machen. Wenn Flüsse zunehmend verschmutzen oder austrocknen, ist die Nutzung von Grundwasser für die Trinkwasserversorgung, Industrie, Energie und Landwirtschaft eine vermeintlich sichere Quelle. Doch gerade in der wasserknappen und vom Klimawandel stark betroffenen Region Mittlerer Osten und Nordafrika (MENA) droht auch diese Quelle zu versiegen. Hier ist die Rate der Grundwasser(über)nutzung im weltweiten Vergleich am höchsten, gleichzeitig steigt die Verschmutzung der Ressource durch Abwässer und eindringendes Salzwasser. Insbesondere die bewässerte Landwirtschaft gefährdet viele Grundwasserleiter in der Region massiv.

Bisherige Lösungsansätze reichen nicht

Häufig werden technische Lösungen als Antwort auf die Grundwasserkrise gesucht. Grundwasserleiter können durch Wasserzufuhr (z.B. behandeltes Abwasser, Sturmfluten) wieder befüllt oder wassersparende und abwasseraufbereitende Technologien eingesetzt werden, um den Verbrauch zu vermindern. Satellitengestütztes Monitoring des Landnutzungswandels kann helfen, Quellen von Verschmutzung und Übernutzung auszumachen oder verbrauchsabhängige Wassernutzungsgebühren zu erheben. Letztere sind Teil ökonomischer Lösungsansätze wie sie beispielsweise in Jordanien im Hochland und in der Azraq-Oase verfolgt werden: Mittels Gebühren sollen Anreize für einen sparsamen Umgang geschaffen werden.

Auch institutionelle Reformen zum Schutz und zur Erhaltung der Grundwasserressourcen werden vielerorts angestoßen. Verwundbare Trinkwassergewinnungsgebiete werden für die Nutzung gesperrt. Bau und die Nutzung von Brunnen werden an Lizenzen gekoppelt. Zudem hat z.B. die marokkanische Regierung in verschiedenen Regionen des Landes gemeinsam mit den verschiedenen Nutzergruppen in Grundwasserverträgen die Grundwassernutzung verbindlich festgelegt.

Doch trotz dieser Maßnahmen steigt die Grundwasserentnahme in der Region. So sind Gebühren häufig nicht hoch genug, um Steuerungswirkung zu entfalten und werden nicht konsequent genug erhoben. Die intransparente Vergabe und mangelnde Kontrolle von Brunnen-Lizenzen erhöhen weiterhin in vielen Regionen die Entnahmen. Auch behindern die unterschiedlichen Interessen der beteiligten Akteure die Durchsetzung von Verträgen, etwa wenn Ressourcenschutz gegenüber politisch einflussreichen Landwirt*innen nicht durchgesetzt werden kann. Dies zeigt: Das Problem der übernutzten Grundwasserressourcen in der MENA-Region ist politischer Natur.

Wasser bedeutet Macht

Insbesondere in der MENA-Region ist Wasser eng verknüpft mit den entsprechenden Gesellschaftsverträgen. Gesellschaftsverträge sind implizite Abkommen zwischen den Regierenden und der Bevölkerung, bei denen Regierungen Legitimität und Loyalität sichern, indem sie bestimmte Dienstleistungen bereitstellen, Sicherheit gewährleisten und teilweise auch politische Beteiligung ermöglichen.

Gerade weil Grundwasservorkommen in vielen Ländern trotz Dürre und Klimawandel weiterhin Landwirtschaft ermöglichen und gleichzeitig schnell wachsende Städte mit Trinkwasser versorgen, sind sie ein wichtiger Pfeiler solcher Gesellschaftsverträge. Denn gelingt es Regierungen nicht, die Wasserversorgung ihrer Bevölkerung zu sichern oder diese vor den negativen Auswirkungen von Wasserknappheit, Dürren und Überflutungen zu schützen, scheitern sie an ihrer Verantwortung im Gesellschaftsvertrag und riskieren Proteste, beispielsweise von Kleinbäuer*innen, deren Lebensunterhalt vom Zugang zu Wasser abhängt.

Gleichzeitig beeinflussen die jeweiligen Gesellschaftsverträge, wie Grundwasser bewirtschaftet wird. Häufig spielen einflussreiche Landwirt*innen und Agrarunternehmen, die lukrative Exportprodukte anbauen, eine wichtige Rolle im Gesellschaftsvertrag. Sie sind Teil der politischen Elite oder verfügen über eine starke Lobby, um ihre Interessen durchzusetzen und Ressourcenzugänge oder Gebührenrabatte zu sichern. So werden Maßnahmen zur ökologisch dringend notwendigen Begrenzung der Wasserentnahme in vielen Ländern der Region kaum durchgesetzt.

Notwendig ist deshalb eine gesamtgesellschaftliche Debatte darüber, wie die MENA-Länder mit ihren begrenzten und übernutzten Wasserressourcen mittel- und langfristig umgehen wollen. Dabei müssen nationale Regierungen, zivilgesellschaftliche Akteure, der Privatsektor und die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit die Zusammenhänge zwischen Wasser und Gesellschaftsverträgen berücksichtigen und neu regeln: Wie kann politische Loyalität von der Wasserverteilung abgekoppelt und in größere Zusammenhänge guter Regierungsführung überführt werden? Das schließt auch eine Diskussion darüber ein, welche Wirtschaftssektoren ausgebaut und welche zurückgefahren werden sollen. Wichtig ist, dass eine solche Wende ökologisch und sozial verträglich gestaltet wird. Solange diese (macht)politischen Fragen nicht berücksichtigt werden, werden auch technische und institutionelle Lösungen Grundwasservorkommen nicht schützen können.

Aktuelle Kolumne des Bonn Water Network.

Über die Autorinnen:

Dr. Annabelle Houdret ist Politikwissenschaftlerin und Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin im Forschungsprogramm „Umwelt-Governance“.
Dr. Birgit Kemmerling ist Geographin und Senior Researcher im Bonn International Centre for Conflict Studies (BICC).
Dr. Ines Dombrowsky ist Ökonomin und Programmleitung des Forschungsprogramms „Umwelt-Governance“.

Le président français, Emmanuel Macron, a annoncé un retrait progressif des troupes de l'opération Barkhane. Déjà, avant le coup d'État, le sentiment anti-français au Mali avait pris de l’ampleur et l'opinion publique française avait désapprouvé l'opération militaire. Au-delà des incertitudes, le retrait de la France aura des effets assez prévisibles, à savoir l'émergence d'un nouveau vide sécuritaire, d'un sentiment de désaffection plus profond entre la junte et les partenaires européens, et de nouveaux obstacles aux efforts de développement et d'aide humanitaire.

Le président français, Emmanuel Macron, a annoncé un retrait progressif des troupes de l'opération Barkhane. Déjà, avant le coup d'État, le sentiment anti-français au Mali avait pris de l’ampleur et l'opinion publique française avait désapprouvé l'opération militaire. Au-delà des incertitudes, le retrait de la France aura des effets assez prévisibles, à savoir l'émergence d'un nouveau vide sécuritaire, d'un sentiment de désaffection plus profond entre la junte et les partenaires européens, et de nouveaux obstacles aux efforts de développement et d'aide humanitaire.

Le président français, Emmanuel Macron, a annoncé un retrait progressif des troupes de l'opération Barkhane. Déjà, avant le coup d'État, le sentiment anti-français au Mali avait pris de l’ampleur et l'opinion publique française avait désapprouvé l'opération militaire. Au-delà des incertitudes, le retrait de la France aura des effets assez prévisibles, à savoir l'émergence d'un nouveau vide sécuritaire, d'un sentiment de désaffection plus profond entre la junte et les partenaires européens, et de nouveaux obstacles aux efforts de développement et d'aide humanitaire.

In a webinar organized on March 17th by IPI MENA under the theme “Energy Security in the MENA region and Beyond,” experts, government officials, members of the private sector, civil society and media representatives warned against the serious ramifications of the Ukraine conflict on the world energy order among other sectors.

Opening the webinar, IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji, warned “the conflict in Ukraine will undoubtedly have the most challenging geopolitical and economic consequences,” and regretted that “the war is waged by a military superpower which is at the same time an energy superpower.” Deploring “the humanitarian and material losses that the war is causing in Ukraine,” he reiterated solidarity with the people of Ukraine and “all other peoples that are victims of aggression, violence, and violations of territorial integrity and international law.”

He pointed to the war’s dramatic effects on energy security in the MENA region and beyond, as some countries, however, are dependent on Russian oil products in addition to other vital food items. He highlighted that some MENA countries have hardly any resilience to tackle the consequences of energy imports bills. Many of these countries and states may face unprecedented unrest.

Imed Drouiche, geophysicist and energy expert, underlined that despite OPEC Countries having the largest fossil energy stocks representing less than 50% of the total oil production of the world, they will not fill the gap left by Russian energy supplies to Europe and other major clients. Therefore “high prices will encourage diversification.”

“The challenge will be to continue the transition by decarbonizing all the oil production mainly using the blue hydrogens. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have already engaged in investing in blue hydrogens.”

Derouiche said the gulf countries are shifting from the water desalinization industry to renewable sources of energy, albeit slowly, and would take years to reach required levels. He argued that while some think nuclear energy is a game-changer for power supply in Europe, freeing the continent from Russian gas, the CAPEX procedures have proven the high cost endured during the whole process. He backed adopting “solar and wind as sources of energy as the right way.”

Advocating the shift to renewable energy sources, he said the number one enemy of renewable energy is cheap oil prices. He stated that now that oil prices are nearing $130 per barrel, the cost of renewable energy will be reasonable, predicting several countries will switch to renewable energy alternatives. He praised some MENA countries’ efforts towards renewable energy alternatives, citing Morocco – a leveling leading country in sustainably managing the transition in electricity – as “doing well.” Jordan and Egypt are also coveting that level but others are unfortunately lagging behind, he said.

Nimal Vallipuram, Senior Analyst at JCC Investment wondered “where are we going to get the energy we need right now and how are we going to fit this into the Environment Social and Governance (ESG) framework?”

He said “in terms of ESG transition, it’s a question of how fast we need to do this. We have a net zero target by 2050. We are today facing an extraordinary situation. Russia is a huge country in terms of commodities. When you cut Russia out of the system financially and otherwise, that is going to be felt by significantly in other countries.” He added that ramifications are already being experienced. He said that “a full ESG transition worldwide would cost us two hundred trillion dollars, that is twice the volume of global GDP.” He warned that “we cannot have an advanced-economy solution to a world problem.”

Looking at Western European countries which are dependent mostly on Russian gas, he said they have to find a way to feel more comfortable with what they are going to do and North Africa will play a bigger role in terms of gas and electricity. There are “plans [since] ten years ago to build a massive solar farm in the Sahara. Those plans will come back. People will consider such plans, which ten years ago were considered to be outlandishly humongous.” He reiterated that “North Africa is in an excellent position to supply some of the security to Western Europe.”

Vallipuram predicted that countries like Qatar and Iran are possible “solutions to the problem by becoming larger suppliers, as gas is going to remain the transition fuel. There’s no other way around it.” He added, “there’s another issue we are having which we have to sort out in order to ensure the transition, which is the current production of lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite all of them have to increase in multiples annually for the next thirty years, which means we have to spend an enormous amount of time on mining.”

However, he noted that “we are going to achieve ESG but we are going to do it more intelligently without increasing the immediate cost to people for energy use,” indicating that “right now, given the geopolitical situation, most of the focus will be on policymakers and how to bring down the cost of oil and gas.”

In an answer on whether Iran could be a solution to the energy challenge, he said it’s not a question of how much they can supply, but whether they can come to some conclusion with the existing outstanding issues among the US, the EU, and UN, and will that help the future oil prices to come down [in Iran] rather than seeing the supply going to the market.

He declared that the current crisis is showing policymakers that we have to go green and that there is no way around it, noting that in the near term, the focus will be on how the existing oil prices and gas prices can go down more than anything else: “But I am a huge fan of the Energy Saving Trust (EST) transition.”

Diplomats from Morocco, the USA, Turkey, Bangladesh, India, Germany, France, Egypt, Brunei Darussalam, Yemen, and others took part in the question and answers segment of the event.

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Dr. Phoebe Donnelly, Research Fellow and Head of IPI’s Women, Peace and Security Program, moderated a panel during a high-level side event on “Women’s leadership in mitigating the impact of climate change and building a peaceful and sustainable climate-resilient Africa.” The event, organized by the African Women Leaders’ Network (AWLN), was held on March 17th on the margins of the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW66). Discussions focused on the leadership roles that women are playing in mitigating the impacts of climate change in Africa.

The event offered a platform for participants to examine how women and girls in Africa may be well-positioned to access certain sectors that will curb climate change, create green jobs and mediate climate change-related conflict within their communities. However, leaders across Africa must support women in accessing power within new industries, political spaces, and sectors that support the mitigation of climate change. Several country representatives referenced Ms. Antonette Ncube’s passionate statement emphasizing the need to explain what support on the ground means by defining what leadership is. The data is clear – climate change and environmental crises disproportionately affect women and girls, particularly those in vulnerable and marginalized situations. As scientific projections indicate that Africa is among the continents hit hardest by the impacts of climate change, the realization of the aspirations of the AU Agenda 2063, of the Sustainable Development Goals, and the full enjoyment of human rights for all may be compromised.

The event was hosted by the African Women Leaders’ Network (AWLN), in collaboration with the Group of Friends of AWLN New York, co-chaired by Germany and South Africa, and with the Group of Friends on Climate and Security, co-chaired by the Republic of Nauru and Germany, together with UN Women and the International Peace Institute (IPI).

Click here for the full agenda and list of speakers.

Dieses Working Paper greift die bestehende Diskussion zur Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Syntheseprodukten bzw. Derivaten auf und schafft eine Grundlage für ein gemeinsames Verständnis hiervon im Forschungsvorhaben HYPAT, bei dem es um die Erstellung eines globalen Wasserstoffpotenzialatlasses geht. Mögliche Produktionsländer und Importländer von Wasserstoff und auf Wasserstoff basierende Derivate werden identifiziert. Als Ergebnis von Literaturrecherchen, Teilnahme an Workshops, Interviews und vor allem von Diskussionen der beteiligten Institutionen am HYPAT-Arbeitspaket 3.2.1 sind Kriterien zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Derivaten für den Export entstanden.

Dieses Working Paper greift die bestehende Diskussion zur Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Syntheseprodukten bzw. Derivaten auf und schafft eine Grundlage für ein gemeinsames Verständnis hiervon im Forschungsvorhaben HYPAT, bei dem es um die Erstellung eines globalen Wasserstoffpotenzialatlasses geht. Mögliche Produktionsländer und Importländer von Wasserstoff und auf Wasserstoff basierende Derivate werden identifiziert. Als Ergebnis von Literaturrecherchen, Teilnahme an Workshops, Interviews und vor allem von Diskussionen der beteiligten Institutionen am HYPAT-Arbeitspaket 3.2.1 sind Kriterien zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Derivaten für den Export entstanden.

Dieses Working Paper greift die bestehende Diskussion zur Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Syntheseprodukten bzw. Derivaten auf und schafft eine Grundlage für ein gemeinsames Verständnis hiervon im Forschungsvorhaben HYPAT, bei dem es um die Erstellung eines globalen Wasserstoffpotenzialatlasses geht. Mögliche Produktionsländer und Importländer von Wasserstoff und auf Wasserstoff basierende Derivate werden identifiziert. Als Ergebnis von Literaturrecherchen, Teilnahme an Workshops, Interviews und vor allem von Diskussionen der beteiligten Institutionen am HYPAT-Arbeitspaket 3.2.1 sind Kriterien zur Beurteilung der Nachhaltigkeit von Wasserstoff und Derivaten für den Export entstanden.

The war in Ukraine gives reason to fear the worst: Will the Arctic turn again into a region of confrontation, remain a region of cooperation or become a region “on hold”? Three scenarios for future collaboration in the Arctic and their implications for global cooperation on climate change.

The war in Ukraine gives reason to fear the worst: Will the Arctic turn again into a region of confrontation, remain a region of cooperation or become a region “on hold”? Three scenarios for future collaboration in the Arctic and their implications for global cooperation on climate change.

The war in Ukraine gives reason to fear the worst: Will the Arctic turn again into a region of confrontation, remain a region of cooperation or become a region “on hold”? Three scenarios for future collaboration in the Arctic and their implications for global cooperation on climate change.

Warum Russlands Aggression in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern nicht einhellig verurteilt wird – und was das mit dem Irak-Krieg 2003 oder der Unterstützung afrikanischer Freiheitsbewegungen durch die Sowjetunion zu tun hat.

Warum Russlands Aggression in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern nicht einhellig verurteilt wird – und was das mit dem Irak-Krieg 2003 oder der Unterstützung afrikanischer Freiheitsbewegungen durch die Sowjetunion zu tun hat.

Warum Russlands Aggression in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern nicht einhellig verurteilt wird – und was das mit dem Irak-Krieg 2003 oder der Unterstützung afrikanischer Freiheitsbewegungen durch die Sowjetunion zu tun hat.

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A panel of women experts and practitioners convened at an IPI MENA webinar on March 15 to elaborate on this year’s International Women’s Day theme of “Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow,” with a specific focus on the Middle East and North Africa region.

Delivering IPI MENA’s statement, IPI Policy Analyst Dalya Al-Alawi stressed the importance of government policy in materializing gender parity goals and the need to have legislative frameworks that support this, as women are the key to sustainable growth in the MENA region. She underlined other factors to consider including the role of civil society, the private sector, and education in promoting gender equality among youth.

In a video message addressed to IPI MENA webinar, H.E Sima Bahous, UN Women Executive Director emphasized the “Arab States Paradox.” She decried women’s limited access to political and economic life in Arab States despite women’s relatively high levels of education result in a “financial loss, intellectual loss and developmental loss.” She said that if tackled, these losses could result in powerful forces in development and progress.

“On the regional level, the Middle East is expected to be 4 degrees Celsius warmer in 2050, bearing heavy consequences in terms of heat stress, water scarcity with severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems requiring comprehensive, responsive measures,” she noted. “There is good potential in the Arab States to try to address climate change through women’s employment. That is because the percentage of women pursuing an education in STEM fields, which are uniquely important to climate change mitigation, is higher in the Middle East than in other regions.”

H.E Samira Rajab, Special Envoy to the Bahrain Royal Court pointed to the fields of technology and digitalization as important areas in supporting Arab women. She underlined the link between technological skills and economic independence for women, particularly in the current contexts of a global pandemic and the subsequent surge of online use, be it working from home, virtual finance and economic facilities, or online education.

“Developing this knowledge, skill and women’s empowerment have become a priority for sustainable human development plans, so that women remain active players and key development partners,” she stated.

Assistant Secretary General of Bahrain’s Supreme Council of Women, H.E Shaikha Deena bint Rashid Al-Khalifa, highlighted SCW’s mandate in developing a comprehensive national plan for the advancement of Bahraini women while ensuring it is aligned with the National Economic Vision 2030, the sustainable development agenda and most importantly the aspirations of Bahraini women and the significant accomplishments they have achieved. “We affirm Bahrain’s commitments to remaining steadfast to maintain the efforts and progress made so far,” she stated, “in advancing the role of women in development through targeted policies and initiatives that promote equal opportunities.”

“Bahraini women today represent in the government sector 55% as of 2020 which is 17% higher than 2001,” she noted. “In the private sector, Bahraini women make up today 35% of Bahraini employees which is 11% higher than 20 years ago. The percentage of Bahraini women’s participation in the total workforce as of 2021 has reached 43%.” Noting the gradual increase over the years of Bahraini women’s entrepreneurial activities, she underlined that women represent 42% in this sector as of 2021, in comparison to 15% in 2001, and that more than half of the virtual business owners today are women.

Mrs. Hela Ouardi, author, member of the Belgian Academy and Professor at the University of Tunis, explored how women’s marginalized roles in history have resulted in “knowledge fragility”, which affected women in the MENA more severely. She noted that building sustainable peace in the region relies on deep reflection and work to rewrite history, not under male monopoly but with due and fair parity, with a focus on women’s contribution in knowledge building.  History references have side-lined the key roles played by women since pre-Islamic times to our days, she said, adding that achieving sustainable development and peace in this region and beyond cannot be done through political pledges and resolutions, but through encompassing all aspects of society where women play key roles as authors and actors.

Ms. Ouardi called for women’s leadership in re-owning and rewriting history to put an end to perception and stereotypes that kept women as silent or imprisoned victim. Reinstating the ignored roles of women in our history will reinforce their key and decisive roles in designing the future of our society, she said. She referred to Ibn Rushd (Avveroes), one of the 12th century most prominent Muslim thinkers who asserted that women can govern and run a state, while criticizing his generation’s view about women as being oppressive and unjust.

The webinar was concluded with an open-floor debate. Mr. Faysal Mohammed Abdelgadir, former UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP representative in Bahrain underscored the importance of Bahrain partnering with multilateral system to continue promoting women’s achievements.

Mrs. Margaret Nardi, Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy highlighted the dialogue between her country and Bahrain and commended Bahrain on advancing women’s social issues, particularly with the recent laws enabling Bahraini women to pass residency rights to their children and foreign spouses.

German Ambassador H.E Kai Boeckmann drew encouraging parallels between Germany and Bahrain as leaders in gender parity initiatives and pointed to Germany’s engagement on the Commission on the Status of Women as one of the current four co-chairs. “Our new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is now the first female foreign minister in Germany’s history,” he stated, while stressing Germany’s stronger commitments made by the new government. “When our new Foreign Minister presented the foreign policy agenda in our federal parliament, she explained a concept which in Germany and elsewhere has raised some eyebrows – the ‘feminist foreign policy’. What is meant by this concept is simple, it is about equal representation, rights and resources,” he said.

Opening the webinar, entitled “The Role of Women in the MENA Region in Building a Sustainable Tomorrow,” IPI MENA Director Nejib Friji called for greater solidarity to the women and girls across the world who are on the frontlines of wars and conflicts, in Ukraine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, Yemen and other zones of conflict.

“We find ourselves in a tumultuous moment in modern history where we are dealing with the repercussions of a global pandemic, the threats of climate change and wars – all which disproportionately affect women,” he stated. “Building a sustainable tomorrow begins with addressing the question on gender equality.”

Oceans are facing radical changes due to anthropogenic ocean acidification leading to an unstable climate. Although the expected profound impacts on humanity and ecosystems are scientifically proven, marine realms have attracted little attention in politics and climate change negotiations. Research vessels are playing an important role in facilitating research on the vast ocean defying weather, time, and space, thus allowing scientific knowledge production that is of crucial importance for understanding marine systems and climate change. But what exactly happens on board of a research vessel? Which role does the vessel play in scientific knowledge production inmarine research? How are social processes and technologies affecting knowledge production? How is newly gained knowledge transferred to and accessible for society and politics? These questions were explored during a seven-week geomorphological expedition in the North Atlantic and Labrador Sea.

Oceans are facing radical changes due to anthropogenic ocean acidification leading to an unstable climate. Although the expected profound impacts on humanity and ecosystems are scientifically proven, marine realms have attracted little attention in politics and climate change negotiations. Research vessels are playing an important role in facilitating research on the vast ocean defying weather, time, and space, thus allowing scientific knowledge production that is of crucial importance for understanding marine systems and climate change. But what exactly happens on board of a research vessel? Which role does the vessel play in scientific knowledge production inmarine research? How are social processes and technologies affecting knowledge production? How is newly gained knowledge transferred to and accessible for society and politics? These questions were explored during a seven-week geomorphological expedition in the North Atlantic and Labrador Sea.