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This study examines natural resource governance in light of the 2030 Agenda. Groundwater abstraction in Azraq, Jordan serves as the case study for this endeavour. A milestone for global sustainable development, the 2030 Agenda sets out 17 broad Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 specific targets. It foresees integrated implementation that requires mobilising synergies and mitigating trade-offs between economic, social and ecological goals (Breuer, Janetschek, & Malerba, 2019). The 2030 Agenda Resolution refers to five core principles underpinning its implementation: universality, leaving no one behind (LNOB), interconnectedness and indivisibility, inclusiveness and multi-stakeholder partnerships (UNSSC, s. a.). Particularly in water-scarce countries, the question arises about how to govern groundwater across different sectors in line with these principles. Besides acknowledging that the SDGs are indivisible and interconnected, there are also the issues of equality, non-discrimination and participation. The DIE research project “Growth, Environment, Inequality, Governance: Implementation of the 2030 Agenda” selected Jordan to be one of four case studies. Jordan is one of the countries most threatened by water shortages (MWI, 2015). Agricultural, domestic and environmental users in the Eastern Desert town of Azraq compete for shrinking groundwater resources. Local groundwater use is determined by various factors, such as sectoral policies and laws, as well as traditions and norms. These institutional factors, combined with community factors like the structural differences between user groups and biophysical and material conditions, create a complex governance system. Research into the governance of groundwater abstraction in Azraq has mainly focused on natural science aspects of the problem; it remains vague regarding the sociocultural factors of groundwater use. Social science research has thus far primarily focused on single user groups, especially agricultural users (Al Naber, 2016, 2018; Molle, Al-Karablieh, Al Naber, Closas, & Salman, 2017). However, the 2030 Agenda’s core principles make it incumbent to consider all user groups and sectors, as well as synergies and trade-offs between different SDGs, when mapping a wider governance system.