Fanack Water is an online platform that provides accessible, objective and well-researched information on water resources in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Their objective is to generate awareness in and for the MENA region on its most valuable resource: water. “I am excited to announce that we launched our new ‘Jordan Water Report’. All our publications, such as the ‘Jordan Water Report’, are freely accessible. I invite everybody to visit water.fanack.com and use our knowledge,” Vermeer explains.
“Fanack Water publishes and shares peer-reviewed country reports, in-depth publications on specific themes, and blogs on the latest developments and events. All our reports are written and reviewed by water experts, mainly from the MENA region itself,” says Vermeer.
To give you an idea of its wide ranging resources, Fanack Water currently has reports on all 21 countries in the MENA region. “Apart from our Jordan report, in the next few months we will also publish new reports on Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Palestine,” adds Vermeer.
Fanack Water’s target audiences are governments, NGOs, public and private sector stakeholders, and international and MENA individual experts. In fact, as over 80 percent of their visitors are from MENA countries, they publish everything in both English and Arabic.
A Water Driven Future for the MENA Region
In response to a question on what a water driven future means for a region such as MENA, Vermeer explains that “The MENA region shows the world what a water-scarce future, exacerbated by climate change, looks like. It shows us the importance of water as the lifeline of economies, livelihoods, socio-cultural stability and so on. When water is scarce and poorly managed, we see a vicious cycle of environmental degradation, food insecurity, migration, and even conflict.
“Our water future is what we make of it, both in the MENA region and elsewhere. It all starts with awareness of the crucial value of water and how we should manage it sustainably. Water innovations and expertise, such as those of the Dutch water sector, can make a difference. Water expertise on areas such as desalination, water governance, groundwater, and wastewater management, help brighten a region’s water prospects. In the MENA region and elsewhere, Fanack Water hopes to see a water future of cooperation, stability, ecological sustainability, and economic prosperity.”
Joining the NWP Network
“I believe NWP membership can be a win-win situation for Fanack Water, NWP and its members,” Vermeer says. “NWP gives us access to a relevant network that could benefit from the water knowledge and expertise that Fanack Water has acquired over the years, thus increasing our outreach. Through NWP we also have the opportunity to connect with relevant stakeholders and explore future collaboration for mutual benefit. Further, Fanack Water has an established network of water experts throughout the MENA region. We can share our network with interested NWP members, and enable partners to access our network through op-eds or advertorials on our site,” Vermeer says. “In the end, NWP membership is an exciting opportunity to find out what it will bring and if it is of added value to an organisation like Fanack Water. I really look forward to meeting and connecting with the NWP network to see if we can strengthen each other and the water related activities for MENA region.”
