Towards a Unified Donor Approach for Saving the Sana’a Basin

This chapter explains how and why a partnership between a coalition of donors could embed water solutions within a broader strategy for economic development in the region. It highlights politically feasible reforms and solutions that could be implemented using the combined leverage of the traditional donor government community, in concert with Arab Gulf donors who seek an end to instability in Yemen. Through politically feasible projects, a strategy for future water policies and investments can emerge. In the short run, projects can build on past reforms and improve water cooperation in the Sana’a basin through capacity building. For a long-term impact, the Yemeni Government—with the support of donors—needs to expand reforms beyond the purview of the core technical experts who are still employed within various ministries in Sana’a. By reaching out to local stakeholders and decisionmakers within the government who may lack the technical knowledge to approve projects, aid agencies, multilateral organizations, and donors could develop programs with the right mix of carrots and sticks to bring Sana’a back from the brink. Future reforms could then address agriculture, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of water usage in the country. Supporting more sustainable rural livelihoods will slow the rapid depletion of groundwater in the Sana’a basin. For this, donors can build coalitions with political and traditional elites in Yemen, as well as in water sector institutions. While these solutions are not a silver bullet, they can put sustainable water management in the Sana’a region on the right track. This chapter starts by providing a background on Sana’a’s water governance and insecurity before and during the war. It then assesses donors’ roles in the water sector and their current reticence to get involved, given Sana’a’s difficult governing authorities and ongoing instability. The chapter will argue, however, that starting with Sana’a’s water and sanitation sectors is important and feasible. The chapter will conclude by suggesting a series of short- and long-term steps toward greater water security through the combined leverage of regional and international donors.