IOFS Highlights Integrated Water–Food Solutions at the XIX World Water Congress

Over the course of the XIX World Water Congress in Marrakesh, Dr. Ismail Abdelhamid, Director of the Projects Department, IOFS, took part in three separate sessions that brought together researchers, policymakers, and development partners working on water and food security in the region. His role across the panels differed, but in each discussion, he drew on IOFS experience from OIC Member States and the practical challenges countries face when trying to link water management with food system resilience. His contributions reflected ongoing work within IOFS and the partnerships the organization has been building in recent years.

In the session on large water projects in MENA, Dr. Abdelhamid spoke about how major infrastructure - desalination, wastewater treatment, and water transfers - has been shaping long-term food security strategies in countries under severe climate pressure. Later, during the discussion on water–food policy coherence in Egypt and Morocco, He reflected on the way different institutions approach water and food planning, noting how countries are experimenting with various methods to link resource management with agricultural priorities. Both panels created space to explore how these policy directions are evolving and how certain institutional arrangements can help reforms take shape more effectively.

Dr. Abdelhamid also joined the CGIAR - IWMI side event on scaling water solutions, where the conversation focused more on community-level adoption of innovations rather than national policies. He exchanged views on what helps new practices take hold on the ground, stronger institutions, flexible financing, and partnerships that give local actors a real voice in shaping solutions. Taken together, his participation across the three sessions offered a grounded perspective on how water and food security challenges are evolving in the region and what it takes to translate ideas into action.