Establishing a Coordination Mechanism and Building the Institutional Capacity on Climate Financing for the Water Sector

The Water Sector Governance Program in Jordan, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), aims to support Jordan's water-sector institutions in applying the principles of good governance. By determining the optimal use of available resources, the project not only addresses immediate concerns but also paves the way for sustainable long-term solutions. With a focus on inter-agency collaboration, the initiative strives to foster an environment that encourages informed decision-making and promotes responsible resource allocation. The project interventions cover a wide range of key areas, including the support for Jordan"s National Water Strategy implementation, human resources management, communication and outreach, digitalization and IT Security, strengthening regulation and monitoring, strengthening bulk water management, strengthening the sector"s capacities to apply the Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus approach and access to climate finance and promoting private sector participation within the water sector. Facing challenges such as water scarcity, energy dependency, and agricultural vulnerability, Jordan is considered highly climate vulnerable. One of the project components, focusing on Climate Finance, aims to enhance Jordan's capacity to mobilize climate finance for the water sector to facilitate the in the implementation of mitigation and adaptation measures, and addressing climate-related challenges in water resource management. Objectives and Expected Outcomes: The main objective of the project is to enhance the Jordanian water sector governance and strengthen its ability to access multilateral climate finance. Expected outcomes include: -Developing a climate finance project pipeline for submission to multilateral funding bodies. -Developing a capacity-building program for project key stakeholders, focusing on concept notes and proposal writing and integrating climate finance requirements into them, environmental assessments. . -Establishing cooperation mechanisms to identify and implement climate financing projects in the water sector, involving key stakeholders such as MOPIC, MWI, and JVA. Key Activities: Project Pipeline Development: -Identifying priority projects in collaboration with project stakeholders. -Projects screening to assess their alignment with climate finance criteria. -Prioritizing projects based on their feasibility and impact. -Collaborate with GGGI to develop project concept notes and monitor the facilitation process for securing endorsements. Deliverables: Progress Reports, Optimization Recommendations. Capacity Building on Adaptation and Mitigation: -Conduct stakeholder needs assessments. -Design a capacity-building curriculum. -Implement workshops and training programs. Deliverables: Needs Assessment Report, Human Capacity Program, Evaluation Reports. Cooperation Mechanisms for Climate Finance: -Stakeholders mapping and reviewing existing mechanisms. -Develop process charts for identifying climate-financed projects. -Create a prioritization strategy. Deliverables: Organizational Charts, Cooperation Mechanisms, Prioritization Strategy. Milestones and Impact: - Develop 3 project concept notes for submission to climate finance institutions. - Improve the capacity of Jordanian actors to design, plan, and implement climate-financed initiatives and projects. - Create a multi-stakeholder mechanism with regular meetings to foster cooperation. The project is expected to enhance the ability for the Jordanian water sector to access climate finance, address critical water challenges through climate-resilient solutions, and contribute to the long-term sustainability of water resource management.