AWARENET: the Arab integrated water resources management network

The Arab integrated water resources management network (AWARENET) was established with a vision to contribute to the achievement of sustainable water resources development in the Arab countries. Its development objective is to enhance human resources development for integrated water resources management (IWRM) by means of strengthening capacity building institutions and building their technical, institutional and managerial capacity in implementing IWRM. The specific objectives to be achieved by AWARENET are: 1) Develop regional cooperation among capacity building institutions and organizations engaged in IWRM in the region to strengthen their capacities to deliver effective capacity for IWRM; 2) Facilitate research in relevant subjects for IWRM in the region; and 3) Promote the implementation of IWRM in the region. This paper describes how ICT can facilitate and support AWARENET in achieving its objectives, particularly regarding the dissemination of information among institutions, and distance learning in the various aspects of IWRM. The paper also addresses the major challenges that are faced in this regard, especially that e-readiness differ significantly among Arab countries, and poor communications still characterize much of the Arab world.