02 May MEDRC Alumni Forum Offers Perspectives on Climate Change Adaptation in Jordanian Water Sector
April 23rd, 2019: If Jordan is to achieve sustainable economic growth and development, solutions to fresh water scarcity must be sought. The anticipated impacts of climate change will place even more pressure on the quantity and quality of the nation’s limited water resources. Achieving water security under these conditions requires a multi stakeholder approach, where climate change impacts are identified and understood so that policies can be put in place to adapt and mitigate against them.
In light of this need for a coordinated response, the MEDRC Alumni Forum connected water research students with representatives of industry, academia, and government to engage in lively discussions on a variety of critical issues affecting water security in the context of climate change. The Forum is a follow up initiative of the Fellowship Program, designed to facilitate support for water research by offering a platform from which alumni can showcase their work, view research outputs of their peers and connect with leading experts in the water sector. Panel discussions addressed 4 topics including; Achieving food security under water stress and climate change impact; Flood management in the context of climate change; Innovation in the water sector, and the water energy nexus.
The event was organized by an elected Student Steering Committee. The committee was chaired by current MEDRC Fellow Ms. Jehad Abdelnabi, a student of the Jordan University of Science & Technology (JUST) who was, along with her committee members given responsibility to; propose the forum theme; curate discussion panel topics; nominate expert participants; select moderators and manage event logistics. As part of the event, MEDRC Fellows Amal Jaradat, Elham Al-Shurafat and Nadia Al-Shamot presented their research. The Forum also hosted a Poster Competition for MEDRC Fellows and other MSc students in Jordan where they created posters to visually present their research. The Poster Competition was won by two students, MEDRC Fellow and one of the Forum Student Steering Committee, Mohammed Assaf from German Jordanian University, and Nour Al Nairat from Jordan University of Science and Technology.
MEDRC’s Fellowship program is delivered in partnership with water authorities in Palestine and Jordan. It offers exceptionally talented students an opportunity to pursue post graduate research at participating universities. To date the program has awarded 191 Fellowships in Palestine and Jordan with 30 more due to be awarded this year, bringing the total to 221.
to view a selection of images taken at the event.