Navigating water and food security in MENA: Shared risks, regional solutions, and the UAE’s emerging role

Water and food security in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is no longer a distant concern. It is a defining challenge that lies at the intersection of climate resilience, political stability, and sustainable development. The recent Food and Water Security Dialogues held in Dubai, co-hosted by Observer Research Foundation (ORF)-Middle East and the Rabdan Security and Defense Institute (RSDI), brought together experts, entrepreneurs, and academics to tackle the region’s acute vulnerabilities and chart collaborative pathways forward. Against the backdrop of the UAE co-hosting the 2026 UN Water Conference, the event reaffirmed the urgency of regional integration, innovation, and diplomacy in addressing these interlinked crises.

The MENA region is the most water-stressed in the world, home to 6% of the global population but possessing only 1% of its renewable freshwater resources. Climate change is compounding already severe natural constraints, with rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and desertification accelerating the depletion of aquifers and undermining traditional farming systems. From the Nile Delta to the Tigris-Euphrates basin, shared water sources are under increasing strain, fuelling political tensions and resource insecurity. The Gulf countries, including the UAE, are at the forefront of these challenges, where virtually all freshwater needs are met through energy-intensive desalination and where food imports account for 85–90% of consumption.

Salmaan Mohammed, CEO and co-founder of Platable, emphasised during the panel how disruptive innovation in food systems can alleviate stress on natural resources. His work highlights how technology-driven solutions such as vertical farming, precision agriculture, and AI-powered food logistics, can help Gulf states reduce their dependence on fragile global supply chains. In the UAE, smart greenhouses and hydroponic farms are already producing water-efficient crops at scale, but scaling these models across the MENA region requires investment, cross-border knowledge sharing, and regulatory support.

Professor Hamed Assaf of the American University in Ras Al Khaimah underscored the engineering dimension of water security, focusing on the critical need for robust infrastructure and real-time data management. He has previously warned that Gulf states must move beyond supply-side fixes like desalination and instead prioritise integrated water resource management (IWRM). This includes enhancing wastewater treatment, upgrading urban water networks to reduce leakage, and using predictive modelling to anticipate demand surges in a hotter, more volatile climate.

Dr Fatin Samara, an environmental sciences professor at the American University of Sharjah, brought a vital dimension to the discussion: the often-overlooked issue of contamination and environmental degradation. Her research has long highlighted how chemical pollutants, agricultural runoff, and industrial waste are degrading already scarce water resources. In fragile ecosystems such as oases and wadis, pollution accelerates the loss of biodiversity and endangers community health. A regional water strategy must therefore address not only quantity but quality by investing in monitoring systems, environmental education, and stricter enforcement of environmental protection laws.

Wahid A. Kamalian, Managing Partner at Amaly Legacy, stressed the role of capital and impact investment in bridging the sustainability gap. He has advocated for aligning Gulf sovereign wealth and private capital with climate-smart agriculture and water infrastructure across MENA. His intervention pointed to the need for public-private partnerships (PPPs) that can de-risk investment in fragile contexts while unlocking scalable, bankable solutions. Countries like the UAE are well-positioned to lead this effort, having already launched major green investment funds and international aid programs supporting climate resilience abroad.

Despite each country’s domestic strategies, the panel agreed that no single nation can address water and food insecurity alone. Transboundary water management, particularly in river basins like the Jordan, Euphrates, and Nile, requires political compromise, regional legal frameworks, and joint monitoring mechanisms. The UAE, known for its diplomatic pragmatism, can play a constructive role in promoting “water diplomacy,” facilitating negotiations between upstream and downstream users while promoting technology transfers and shared infrastructure projects.

Moreover, regional food corridors, where trade and storage logistics are harmonised across borders, could cushion the region from global shocks such as the Ukraine war, which severely disrupted wheat supplies to North Africa and the Levant. Platforms like the Arab Coordination Group and the GCC Food Security Alliance could serve as vehicles for aligning food security strategies, harmonising standards, and leveraging collective bargaining power in global markets.

As MENA moves toward a climate-constrained future, the intersection of food, water, and environmental security must be treated as a strategic continuum, not siloed policy areas. The UAE’s decision to co-host the 2026 UN Water Conference with Senegal is a powerful signal that it aims to position itself as a regional and global leader on sustainable resource governance. This leadership, however, must be rooted in domestic example, regional cooperation, and a commitment to innovation that is inclusive, equitable, and forward-looking.

The Food and Water Security Dialogues in Dubai offered more than just expert analysis. It laid the groundwork for practical collaboration. If the momentum generated is harnessed wisely, the MENA region can pivot from fragility to resilience, from vulnerability to visionary leadership. The time for coordinated action is now.

Dr Kristian Alexander is a Senior Fellow at the Rabdan Security and Defense Institute (RSDI), Abu Dhabi, UAE