| The Middle East and North Africa Region is disproportionately endowed with natural resources. The Region is both the world's richest in oil and gas reserves, but also one of the poorest in renewable water resources. It continues to rely excessively on natural resources for its sustainable development.
The MNA countries share the following long-standing environmental issues, which only differ in magnitude and severity between the countries:
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Water scarcity and quality
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Land and coastal degradation and desertification
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Urban and industrial pollution
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Weak institutional and legal framework
More recently, the countries of the Region have been faced with the environmental dimension of their economic liberalization efforts, free trade agreements with the European Union, and globalization.
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