Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, said today, Wednesday, that the Arab region suffers from the largest food gap in the world due to water scarcity."
During the opening of the 12th session of the Arab Ministerial Council for Water, Aboul Gheit indicated that water security is a fundamental pillar of Arab national security.
Aboul Gheit said that our Arab region houses 5% of the world’s population and has only 1% of freshwater sources, and therefore many of Arab countries are already located in the zones lacking water. About 60% of the population in North Africa and the Middle East live in areas having water scarcity.
He explained that saving water, rationalizing its management, and maximizing its use is the issue of future par excellence.
Chief of the Arab League added that the water security of Arab countries, that witnessed tensions regarding the use of shared water resources with other countries in previous periods, is an integral part of "Arab national security," whether it is related to "Iraq, Egypt or Sudan," stressing the need for it to prevail.
Aboul Geit also stressed that joint cooperation should represent the golden rule for sharing ongoing cross-border water resources.
He warned that unilateral measures and the use of water 'extortion' policies represent a serious obstacle to achieving development for all peoples without exception, which is in violation of international law.
He pointed out that future challenges require everyone to cooperate.
The Arab region faces growing challenges in the water sector, so it is not surprising that it is classified as one of the scariest regions in the world.
The 2011 statistics indicated that the per capita share of freshwater reached 500 m3 in 2011 after it was estimated at 2000 m3 in a year. This share will continue to decline rapidly and dreadfully until it reaches 250 m3 per person per year by the year 2050.
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