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Abstract:
There is wide agreement that a nexus or integrated approach to managing and
governing natural resources such as land, water, and energy can improve environmental,
climate, human, and political security. However, few if any countries in the MENA
region have made progress in implementing such an approach. There appear to be
several constraints inhibiting the development and adoption of nexus approaches. These
constraints include strong sectoral silos, insufficient incentives for integrated planning
and policy making at all levels, and limited vision, knowledge, and practical experience
to guide successful implementation. In turn, the limited implementation and hence lack
of empirical evidence of a nexus approach, which could demonstrate its benefits, does
little to strengthen political will for the development of adequate incentives, structures,
and procedures. Against this backdrop, this paper presents five case studies which
take an integrated approach, in three MENA countries, namely Jordan, Lebanon, and
Morocco. Based on an analytical framework developed here, the paper analyses and
compares the success factors for nexus implementation, and also for transfer and
upscaling. The analysis emphasizes the need for appropriate framework conditions,
targeted investments and pioneering actors, to make integrated approaches across
sectors and levels work. With the evidence presented, the paper aims to set in motion
a positive or virtuous cycle of generating more nexus evidence, improved framework
conditions, further nexus implementation on the ground, and from that even more nexus
evidence. Finally, the paper contributes to overcoming the repeated requests for better
definition and conceptualization of the nexus, which often has slowed down adoption of
the concept.
