The Middle East and North Africa region has always coped with water scarcity. The world’s oldest civilizations have managed to develop and prosper in its arid landscapes. Today the region is at a crossroads. Conflict is taking a severe human and economic toll, fueling massive displacements of populations. What water remains available is dwindling, under pressure from rapid population growth and urbanization combined with climate change. Existing water management systems, already plagued by weak governance, limited resources, and degraded infrastructure, are now failing when they are needed the most.

The resilience of people and communities across the region is being tested in unprecedented ways. It is an unfortunate fact that many of the most fragile contexts in the region are also those with the greatest water-related challenges. People caught in conflict, youth and smallholder farmers in particular, are least able to cope with the impact of water shortages and other water-related disruptions.

This paper is part of an ongoing collaboration between the World Bank and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization to raise awareness about the importance of water management in fragile systems and to propose strategic responses. It is important to better understand these dynamics to ensure that water does not add to fragility, but rather promotes stability, and contributes to resilience in the region. This paper calls for redoubling efforts towards sustainable and efficient management of water resources, reliable and affordable delivery of water services to all and protection from water-related catastrophes.