03 July 2015
Elena Rovenskaya and Leena Ilmola-Sheppard participated in the expert
workshop on Decision-Support Tools for Policy Dialogues
on Water-Food-Energy Nexus in the region of EECCA
Objectives of this expert workshop were
- to identify most important nexus-related inter-linkages between the sectoral, social and other policies, as well as most significant risks and trade-offs, and synergies common for many or several EECCA countries;
- to identify existing decision-support tools that could allow for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the inter-linkages, costs, benefits and synergies, risks and trade-offs, as well as resilience analysis and measuring progress towards greater levels of water, food and energy security in EECCA;
- to examine the needs for adapting or further refining or extending existing tools, and if needed options for developing new (preferably simple and low-cost) tools; and
- to identify opportunities and benefits, as well as challenges, risks and constraints related to the development and use of generic DSTs for supporting NPDs to address the water-energy-food nexus in EECCA.
Workshop background
Water, food or energy insecurity has created social tensions in many countries. Water is often at the center: in many parts of the world water shortage has been a main stress on food and energy industries, as well as eco-systems. There is an increasing need to explore synergies and address risks and trade-offs between competing uses of water, while taking account of environmental and social considerations. If done right, this can bring productivity gains through more efficient use of water and other resources, thus contributing to greening the economy. Equally, the consequences of inaction could become increasingly severe on people’s wellbeing, economic growth, jobs, and the environment.
In most countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA), achieving water, energy and food security is among the key policy objectives. Some have included this objective in their National Development Strategies and other policy documents. A number of countries launched National Policy Dialogues (NPDs) aimed at improving water resources management, including its trans-boundary dimension, with the ultimate objective of achieving water-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The NPDs and other policy discussions in EECCA have so far focused on water, agri-food or energy sectors individually, and at best discussed water-energy and water–agriculture inter-linkages. More comprehensive discussion spanning the three sectors (water-food-energy nexus) is needed. Quantitative and qualitative tools that help assess the water-energy-food nexus will be useful to support and substantiate such discussions.
