Climate change will intensify water scarcity, especially in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). The European Union’s Green Deal ‘new growth strategy’ promotes a policy agenda that underscores the need to support regions at risk while moving forward with adaptation and mitigation measures. In MENA, transboundary water use and dispute is intrinsic to the region, exacerbating environmental risks of desertification, rising temperatures and increased rainfall variability. Water management is central to effective climate and adaptation policy, as water access is a key determinant of socioeconomic stability and development. This stability is central to intergovernmental cooperation on climate initiatives and has undermined progress on this front in the region since the 1950s. The water sector is a core aspect of climate adaptation and mitigation, particularly as the hydrological cycle will be severely impacted by climate change. Therefore, effective water policy and resource management is the critical node of effective climate mitigation and adaptation in MENA.