The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and the World Bank have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on initiatives aimed at accelerating innovation and investment to combat global water scarcity, while enhancing water security in communities worldwide. The MoU, WAM reported, was co-signed by Ayesha Al-Ateeqi, executive director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative, and Ousmane Dione, vice president for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) at the World Bank, during the World Governments Summit 2025.
Addressing water security challenges
This partnership seeks to tackle critical water security challenges and promote innovative solutions for sustainable water management. It explores potential collaborative efforts in several key areas, including accelerating innovations related to water security; enhancing water sustainability and efficiency; investigating new mechanisms for financing and funding water projects; and strengthening engagement between the public sector, private sector, and international organizations to support the incubation, testing, and scaling of innovative solutions to water security issues.
“The establishment of this MoU is consistent with the goal of The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative to accelerate the development of new solutions to water scarcity and to boost international cooperation to address this growing threat to global security and prosperity,” said Al-Ateeqi. “By teaming up with the World Bank, our collective goal is to pursue tangible opportunities to drive innovation and investment aimed at addressing the challenge of water scarcity for the benefit of current and future generations.”
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Promoting sustainable practices
“This partnership aims to address critical water security challenges and foster innovative solutions to ensure sustainable water management,” said Dione. “Jointly we will be promoting sustainable water management practices in water-stressed regions around the world. Our collaboration will focus on accelerating innovations to support essential areas like irrigation, water reuse, and desalination, aiming to make every drop of water count.”
The agreement further formalizes the shared ambition of The Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative and the World Bank to collaborate on projects and initiatives that promote innovation, investment, and international cooperation in addressing the threat of water scarcity, making a significant contribution to global water security and sustainability efforts.
It also aims to establish a concrete platform for cooperation and collaboration on water-related initiatives involving stakeholders from various regions and sectors.
