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  Water policy, technology, and projects

  in the Middle East

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• Report

  Middle East Most Water Stressed Region

  in the World

  
  

  Twelve out of the 17 most water-stressed countries in the world are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), according to the 2019 World Resources Institute Global Water Risk Atlas. 

  The region is intensely hot and dry with a low water supply to begin with, and is facing growing water demands and complications from climate change that are expected to cause huge economic losses -- as much as 6-14% of MENA GDP by 2050 according to the World Bank. These countries consume 80% of their available water annually and are facing "day zero" conditions, meaning residents' taps are close to running completely dry. 

  Qatar is the most water-stressed country, followed by Israel, Lebanon, Iran and Jordan. Libya, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea and the UAE round out the top ten. 

  While population growth, socioeconomic development, and urbanization increasingly threaten water supplies, there are areas where the MENA region has significant opportunity to boost water security, such as increasing levels of water reuse since  82% of the region's wastewater is not reused.

  Addressing the world's water challenges will require innovation in water management and leadership from the business community. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's BusinessH2O International Business and Policy Forum will work to tackle these issues in the Middle East by profiling major projects throughout the region and highlighting new technologies and poligy solutions that can be used to alleviate water shortages. 

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce

1615 H St, NW 

Washington, DC 20062

To register, click here

For more information visit 

www.uschamber.com/businessH2Ointernationalforum

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Point of Contact: