- Organised by CIHEAM Zaragoza, the webinar will take place on 25 March 2026 at 15:30 CET to mark World Water Day.
- International experts from the Arab Water Council, the FAO and the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE) will discuss how to reconcile environmental protection with water security in a region increasingly affected by scarcity.
The context
To mark World Water Day, CIHEAM Zaragoza will organise the webinar 'Governing water scarcity in the Mediterranean: the challenge of protecting the environment and securing water for society' on 25 March 2026 at 15:30 CET. The online event will bring together experts from international organisations, research institutions and public water authorities to discuss governance challenges and solutions to water scarcity in the region.
Water scarcity is becoming one of the defining challenges for Mediterranean countries. Climate change, increasing demand and growing competition between agricultural, urban and environmental uses are putting additional pressure on already limited resources. Addressing these challenges requires governance approaches that can balance ecosystem protection with the water needs of societies and economies.
The programme
The webinar will open with a welcome address by Ramzi Belkhodja, Head of Training at CIHEAM Zaragoza, who coordinates the institute’s MSc programmes, advanced courses and capacity-building initiatives in the core strategic areas: plant production, animal production, fisheries and aquaculture, economy and development and water, soil and the environment.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Enrique Playán, Research Professor at the Aula Dei Experimental Station of the Spanish National Research Council (EEAD-CSIC). An agricultural engineer specialising in irrigation and water management, Playán has extensive experience in research on irrigation systems and agricultural water use and has been involved in major European initiatives on water research and policy coordination.
The discussion will feature Khaled Mahmoud Abuzeid, the Regional Director for Technical Programmes at the Arab Water Council (AWC), who counts on more than three decades of experience in water resources management, holding key regional roles including Regional Water Director at CEDARE and technical leadership positions supporting Arab and African water initiatives. His work focuses on water policy, regional cooperation, and sustainable water management in the Arab region.
Another perspective will be provided by Miguel Ángel García Vera, Head of the Hydrological Planning Office of the Ebro River Basin Authority (CHE), who has long professional experience in river basin management, hydrological planning and the implementation of European water policy in Spain. The Ebro River Basin - established in 1926 - is the oldest in the world, pioneering water governance and management from a river basin approach.
The panel will also include Heba Al-Hariry who serves as a Land and Water Officer at the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, where she plays a pivotal role within the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) team. With a focus on sustainable water resources management, Heba contributes to FAO's mission of supporting countries in the region in advancing water and food security. She leads and coordinates FAO's inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS), spearheading efforts to upscale water related actions and foster inter-regional collaboration.
The event will conclude with closing remarks by Manel Hedhli, coordinator of the Water, Soil, and the Environment area at CIHEAM Zaragoza, where she oversees Master’s programmes, advanced courses, and international research and cooperation projects in the Mediterranean region. She focuses on sustainable water management, climate adaptation, and the development of resilient agricultural and environmental practices. Manel has extensive experience in organising scientific events, facilitating knowledge exchange, and supporting the implementation of projects that address critical environmental challenges in the Mediterranean basin. She will summarise the main points of the discussion and present the new edition of the International Master on Sustainable Water Management and Governance in Natural and Agricultural Environments.
The webinar will be held online and is open to students, professionals, researchers, and anyone interested in water governance and sustainable resource management in the Mediterranean.
The speakers
Prof. Khaled AbuZeid holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Cairo University, an M.Sc. and an Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Colorado State University. He is a registered Professional Engineer (PE), and a certified Project Management Professional (PMP). He has over 35 years of experience in Water Resources Management, being Arab Water Council Regional Director for Technical Programs, CEDARE Regional Water Director, North African Ministers Council on Water Technical Secretariat Officer in Charge, Egyptian Water Partnership Secretary General, Global Water Partnership-East Africa (GWP-EA) Chairman, Global Water Partnership Chair of Regional Chairs, Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development Former Vice-Chair, and Professor at the National Water Research Center of Egypt. He is member of the Arab League’s Council of Water Ministers’ Advisory Committee, Arab Water Council Governing Board, Arab Water Academy Governing Board, Union for the Mediterranean Water Experts’ Group/Platform, Global Water Partnership Mediterranean Steering Committee, Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) of the UN-Water SDG 6 Integrated Monitoring Initiative (IMI). His experience includes water resources planning & management, irrigation & drainage, groundwater management, non-renewable groundwater sustainability, water indicators, green and blue water assessment, virtual water and water footprints, the Water-Energy-Food Nexus, water-related environmental & climate change impacts, environmental impact assessment of water-related projects, multi-criteria analysis, incremental cost analysis, decision support systems, technical & legal aspects of transboundary water management, water demand management, water supply & sanitation, optimal water use, water institutional reforms, and water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Heba Al-Hariry serves as a Land and Water Officer at the FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, where she plays a pivotal role within the Regional Water Scarcity Initiative (WSI) team. With a focus on sustainable water resources management, Heba contributes to FAO's mission of supporting countries in the region in advancing water and food security. She leads and coordinates FAO's inter-Regional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS), spearheading efforts to upscale water related actions and foster inter-regional collaboration. With a broad international experience of 18 years, Heba has gained extensive knowledge through her involvement in various international and regional projects spanning Canada and the MENA region. Her fields of expertise include hydrogeology, Integrated Water and Agriculture Resources Management (IWRM), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), and climate change. Before joining the FAO, Heba served as climate change and DRR specialist at the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction, both in Bonn and in the Arab Region. In her previous capacity as the Deputy Technical Director at the Arab Water Council (AWC), Heba led the implementation of several regional flagship projects and initiatives on climate security, climate-smart agriculture, non-conventional water resources and sustainable water and agriculture management, in collaboration with esteemed academic institutions and development partners. Heba holds a Ph.D. in Irrigation and Hydraulics and a Master’s degree in Environmental Engineering.
Miguel Ángel García-Vera holds a degree in Geology from the University of Zaragoza and a PhD in Geological Sciences from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. He belongs to the Corps of Senior Technical Specialists of Autonomous Agencies of the Ministry of the Environment, specialising in Hydrogeology. He has developed his three-decade-long professional career at the Ebro River Basin Authority, based in Zaragoza (Spain). His professional work has been linked to tasks related to hydrological planning from many different perspectives: modelling, environmental studies, water quality, ecological flows, public participation, project management, and outreach. All these tasks have been performed from a river basin management perspective. He served as Head of the Plans and Studies Area from 2007 and has been Head of the Planning Office since 2019. His current responsibilities include: compiling and executing studies required for the preparation, monitoring, and revision of the River Basin Management Plan; issuing reports on the compatibility of users’ proposed actions with the River Basin Management Plan; and drafting management plans for aquifers declared overexploited or at risk of overexploitation, as well as for those undergoing salinisation. Established in 1926, the Ebro River Basin Authority is the oldest river basin organisation in the world. The Ebro River is the largest river in Spain, and its 85,600 km² basin includes small areas of Andorra and France. The Spanish part of the basin (99%) extends across parts of nine autonomous regions. As Head of the Hydrological Planning Office, Dr García-Vera leads the basin planning cycles, which are carried out every six years in accordance with the EU Water Framework Directive.
Key messages for World Water Day 2026
- The global water crisis affects everyone – but not equally. Where people lack the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, inequalities flourish, with women and girls bearing the brunt. It is time to place women and girls at the centre of water solutions.
- Women must shape the future of water. Water services must withstand climate change and meet everyone’s needs. We need a transformative, rights-based approach to solving the water crisis, where women’s voices, leadership and agency are fully recognized.
- Where water flows, equality grows. When women and girls have equal voices in water decisions, services become more inclusive, sustainable, and effective. We must invest in women’s leadership to make water a force for a healthier, more prosperous, gender-equal future that will benefit us all.