Sharing knowledge of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus approach.
Our mission is to foster a paradigm shift in the international development agenda, from sectoral development interventions towards an integrated resource-use approach by sharing the knowledge on the Nexus approach.
The Nexus Resource Platform is the leading global knowledge hub for managing and sharing resources on the Water, Energy and Food Security Nexus. It enables practitioners, researchers and policymakers to think beyond sectors to ensure access to water, energy and food for all.
The world is currently facing a great challenge of securing water, energy and food for all
Due to rapid population and economic growth in combination with accelerated urbanisation and changing lifestyles, demand for water, energy and food is constantly increasing. However, the natural resources are limited.
Water
By 2050, global water demand will increase by 55% due to a combination of rising global population and economic growth. By then, half of the world’s population will live in areas under water stress.
Over the period to 2040, the amount of energy used in the water sector is projected to more than double.
Irrigation is the largest volumetric producer of wastewater.
Energy
Global power generation is forecasted to increase by almost 60% in the next ten years.
90% of global power generation is water intensive.
Roughly 2,500 litres of water are required to produce 1 litre of liquid biofuel.
Food
By 2050 global food production would need to increase by 60% to meet the food requirements of a growing global population.
70% of global water usage is consumed by agriculture and 30% of global energy consumption is used for food production and supply.
More than one-quarter of the energy used globally is needed for food production and supply and the agricultural sector is the largest user of the world’s freshwater resources. At the same time, water scarcity already affects 2.1 billion people.
Sectoral planning in the water, energy and agricultural sectors can lead to unintended, negative consequences, which in turn worsens livelihoods and undermines sustainable development. Today's resource governance is insufficiently steered towards achieving a balanced water, food and energy security for humankind.
Inclusive water, energy and food security on the path to a climate resilient and resource efficient future for all!
Our mission is to institutionalise the Water, Energy and Food Nexus approach in national and regional governance structures to secure the sustainable resource management of water, energy and food resources. We want to leverage the interest of public and private investors for projects, that incorporate the Nexus approach, for a sustainable future and a universal water, energy and food security.
The WEF Nexus approach highlights the interdependencies between achieving water, energy and food security for human well-being
Basics services and economic development, while ensuring ecologically sustainable use of globally essential resources. It is based on an understanding of the synergies and regulated negotiation of fair trade-offs between competing uses of water, land and energy-related resources.
It therewith contributes not only to sustainable development, but also to the EU’s overall developmental and global commitments, namely the Agenda 2030 with its Sustainable Development Goals.
The Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme focuses on contributing mainly to the achievement of:
The Nexus approach is a fundamental shift, from a pure sectoral approach to solutions that embrace a cross-sectoral, coherent and integrated perspective. It challenges existing structures, policies and procedures at global, regional and (sub) national levels.
Key benefits of the WEF Nexus approach:
The Nexus Regional Dialogues Programme actively stimulates the flow and exchange of information at a global scale.
We collect and synthesise information and foster the exchange of knowledge between the partners of the Nexus Regional Dialogues (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, the League of Arab States, the Niger Basin Authority, the Central Asia Regional Environmental Centre in collaboration with national governments and the Southern African Development Commission in collaboration with the Global Water Partnership-Southern Africa) as well as between different technical fields and sectors.
This includes all kind of Nexus resources, from policy briefs to guidelines on WEF Nexus implementation, publications on key elements of the WEF Nexus approach as well as case studies, videos and event announcements.