Today marked the opening session of the workshop
“Water Diplomacy in the Arab Region: The Road to COP31”, Which organized by YLE Foundation In cooperation with the Environment and Climate Department of the League of Arab States
bringing together experts and youth from diverse backgrounds.
The session was opened by Dr. Mahmoud Fathallah, Director of Environment and Climate Department in the League of Arab States, who highlighted water diplomacy as a key priority on today’s climate agenda—especially in light of the region’s pressing challenges, including political tensions, water scarcity, desertification, and transboundary water issues. He also emphasized the importance of the period between climate summits as a critical window to advance dialogue and action on these pressing topics.
He further stressed the vital role of youth as key actors in future negotiations and in shaping and implementing policies, highlighting the importance of empowering and engaging them.
Ahmed Fathy, Founder and Executive Director of YLE, noted that this year’s workshop aims to connect water issues with major environmental summits by engaging participants in thematic working groups covering key topics. He also highlighted the ambition to develop a Youth Charter with joint recommendations from experts and youth, to be presented to the Arab Ministerial Water Council, in addition to producing policy papers addressing the five key themes discussed throughout the workshop.
Water is a scarce resource — and spreading knowledge today is key to creating lasting impact.
Stay tuned as we share insights from the thematic groups, their discussions, and key outcomes from today’s sessions.
