Further Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative (FABRI) Quarterly Progress Report No. 4

The network is a tangible outcome of the vision expressed by President Barack Obama in his 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt, emphasizing the importance of developing centers of excellence in water, food security, climate change, and other disciplines. The MENA NWC is designed and launched by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Further Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative (FABRI). The network is working through research partnerships with universities and research institutions in the Middle East to address longstanding water issues in the region. Currently, 16 national research institutions and universities in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Tunisia, and West Bank/Gaza are actively participating, along with four international research centers in Oman, Sri Lanka, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates. Five major U.S. research universities are also current partners, including the University of California at Davis, the University of Florida, the University of Nebraska, Texas A&M University, and Utah State University. FABRI is also addressing some of Africa's most critical water issues, including limited access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation services. The initiative is supporting water and sanitation providers in Africa to improve their financial, economic, and operating efficiency by exposing them to best practices in water and sanitation service provision. One of the most critical components of the Africa program is the Non-Revenue Water initiative with the Africa Water Association (AfWA) and 26 water utility members in 19 countries across Africa. FABRI is working to strengthen water resources programming in the Middle East and in Africa by building relationships with the private sector, between and among the scientific community, governments, universities, and research institutions, the private sector, and civil society. The initiative's emphasis on uniting a geographically dispersed group of individuals and institutions working in the water sector supports USAID's commitment to strengthen regional platforms, foster transboundary water cooperation, and improve utility performance and financial viability. FABRI has six primary objectives, including establishing an operational MENA NWC, strengthening integrated water resources management programming, improving the long-term viability of water and sanitation service providers, rationalizing water allocations and use, encouraging collaboration among riparians in transboundary river basins, and raising USAID staff skills and Agency visibility in water and sanitation. The initiative is building on the success of the Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative (ABRI) and is working to achieve these objectives through research, policy, and outreach efforts. The MENA NWC is addressing critical water issues in the region through research, policy, and outreach efforts. The network is working on the design and implementation of research projects on water use efficiency and productivity, water and energy, non-conventional water, groundwater, and water and sanitation, in concert with governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations. FABRI is also supporting the creation of a sustainable water network in MENA and is addressing some of Africa's most critical water issues, including limited access to clean water, hygiene, and sanitation services. The initiative is also supporting the creation of a Non-Revenue Water initiative with the Africa Water Association (AfWA) and 26 water utility members in 19 countries across Africa. This initiative aims to improve the financial, economic, and operating efficiency of water and sanitation providers in Africa by exposing them to best practices in water and sanitation service provision. FABRI is working to achieve these objectives through research, policy, and outreach efforts, and is building on the success of the Advancing the Blue Revolution Initiative (ABRI).