Regional Approaches for Improving Water Management in the Mediterranean

The 4th Mediterranean Water Forum

December 7th, 2021 from 09:00 to 10:30 AM CET

Regional Approaches for Improving Water Management in the Mediterranean

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Session pilot: Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI-UNOPS) 

Why are we meeting in Malta?

The objective of the CMI session is to build on the preliminary work of IME’s Marseille regional launch workshop and enhance regional dialogue, exchange innovative ideas and best practices on water management in the Mediterranean, seeking to inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders ahead of the Dakar World Water Forum.

Participants during the CMI-piloted session in Marseille converged on a number of priorities and methodology that could be discussed in Malta, including :

• The need to address challenges as ​​Inter-sectoral linkages (nexus approach)

• The need to act at the local level but under a regional perspective

• The need to strengthen regional cooperation and integration in water management, governance, and knowledge sharing

The CMI-piloted session in Malta will build on these elements, as described below.

What is the problem we are addressing?

Today, water is considered a main strategic issue in most regions of the world, mainly due to its degradation in terms of quantity and/or quality, the ever-increasing demand, and the socio-economic/political challenges related to drought and water scarcity.

In this context, the Mediterranean region is often considered as a pioneering example of the acute tension around water resources: 180 million people live in countries with less than 1000 m3 /year per capita of renewable water resources, while 80 million are expected to have less than 500 m3/year by 2025. The overall water demand is increasing steadily, especially in the southern and eastern Mediterranean countries, while access to water for the poorest and/or most isolated populations remains limited. 

The way water is managed can have profound economic, social and political implications. Limited water supplies may impact food sustainability, which directly depends on water availability. Furthermore, water, energy, and food security are closely interlinked in the region; water is needed to grow food, energy depends on water to generate power, and energy is also needed to extract and deliver water to users.

Access to these essential services is intimately linked and directly affects people’s lives. Lack of water may also lead to political conflicts, domestic and/or regional,  with countries fighting over scarce resources. It may also lead to movements of populations, which have no option but to flee from inhospitable environments. Overall, as discussed in Marseille, the interconnected challenges related to water management are the central issues during the 21st century in the context of climate variability in the Mediterranean. 

How can we address this?

The interconnection of challenges has led to the advent of the concept of the Nexus which refers to providing interconnected solutions and concepts. As discussed by the stakeholders in Marseille, the capacities of Mediterranean stakeholders need to be strengthened and they should be empowered with adequate “Nexus Solutions” to address the challenges they face. To realistically and efficiently address water-related challenges, the CMI-piloted Malta session will have “Nexus Solutions” at its core and adopt an intergenerational, regional, and multi-stakeholder approach. It will build on the discussions and orientations of the Marseille preliminary workshop and capitalize on the technical expertise of CMI and key actors that provide holistic solutions.

To address the complex challenges, a CMI multidisciplinary Mediterranean panel will be mobilized, for knowledge sharing and for the incubation of ideas. They will include the point of view of regional actors, solutions from young water entrepreneurs, and proposals from major international institutions. Meanwhile, concrete case studies from the different Mediterranean countries will be presented. 

Conduct of the Forum Session

The event will target the general audience from the South, North, and East of the Mediterranean. It welcomes policymakers, the private sector, civil society, think tanks, and all other concerned actors from the Mediterranean that play an active role in dealing with water challenges. It will consist of :

• selected interventions by the discussants presenting their solutions/proposals,

• this will be followed by an active Q&A, to better shape the discussion and refine proposals that would lead to Dakar, allowing participants to interact either physically or by connecting directly from their computer or smartphone with a stable internet connection.

Provisional Session agenda

Duration: 90 mn