Tirana, Albania, 10 December 2025 — The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Albania, the Albanian Geological Survey, and the National Agency of Natural Resources, convened a regional Water–Food–Energy (WEF) Nexus Capacity-Building Workshop in Tirana, Albania, on 9–10 December 2025.
The workshop brought together 35 representatives from Eastern European countries working across water, energy, agriculture, and natural resource governance sectors. It aimed to strengthen institutional and technical capacity to apply integrated Water–Food–Energy Nexus approaches in policy and planning, in response to increasing pressures from climate change, resource competition, and socio-economic transformation.
The programme combined conceptual learning with hands-on analytical training. UNU-INWEH experts delivered a plenary session introducing the global Water–Food–Energy Nexus framework, highlighting the interdependencies between water availability, food production systems, and energy use. Participants examined global trends in water stress, agricultural demand, energy intensity, and climate-related risks, emphasizing the need for coordinated, cross-sectoral decision-making.
A central component of the workshop focused on hands-on training on the NeFEW Analytical Toolbox, a Python-based platform developed by UNU-INWEH for Water-Food-Energy Nexus policy support. Participants engaged in interactive exercises using real-world datasets to explore spatial and temporal patterns in water resources, agricultural production, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The tools enabled comparative analysis across countries, helping participants contextualize national challenges within broader regional and global trends.
Discussions throughout the sessions emphasized policy relevance, particularly the implications of resource interdependencies for governance, investment planning, and regional cooperation. Special attention was given to transboundary water systems, highlighting upstream–downstream dependencies and the importance of data sharing and institutional coordination. Participants also explored trade-offs between agricultural productivity, resource efficiency, and environmental sustainability. The workshop concluded that integrating water, energy, food, and climate data within a unified analytical framework significantly enhances the ability of policymakers to identify risks, evaluate trade-offs, and design more resilient strategies.
