MEDITERRANEAN SIDE EVENTS

AECID-Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation/General Directorate for Water from the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge

Bridging Water Capacity Gaps in the Mediterranean

This side event will present various existing and/or planned capacity building efforts related to water in the Mediterranean in order to develop a common framework for action. The event will also present global initiatives of international organisations implementing capacity development processes to improve water governance with potential for implementation in the region.

Some priority areas for action that have already been identified include drought management, digitalisation, and the use of non-conventional sources.

This side event is aimed at:

• Enhancing awareness on the importance of capacity building in countries for timely achievement of SDG 6. -
• Introducing various existing and/or planned capacity-development initiatives and opportunities for water management in the Mediterranean region.
• Sharing and discussing experiences, challenges, and lessons learned on building national capacity for water management.
• Initiating a preliminary assessment of water-related capacity needs in the Mediterranean region
• Contributing to enhance the capacity of water institutions, such as regulators, ministries, and service providers in the Mediterranean region.

Concept Note AECID ENG

Italian Agency for Development Cooperation - Tunisia

New technologies, research and sustainable innovation in the water sector in Tunisia and Italy

Among the various players in the international community, Italian cooperation plays a leading role in the water sector in Tunisia. Thanks to a vast network of public and private partners, we have been able to support Tunisia in the development of several interventions that introduce new techniques for the efficient use of water in arid or water-stressed contexts and for the reuse of wastewater for agricultural purposes. The event will focus in particular on the latest technological advances and research into efficient, water-saving irrigation systems, intelligent monitoring and wastewater. The AICS wants to capitalise on the expertise developed in the sector and at the same time promote a green and sustainable approach to development cooperation that adapts to the current context and responds to the priorities of partner countries as well as to the challenges posed by the climate crisis and the over-exploitation of natural resources.

Concept Note

Rhône Méditerranée Corse Water Agency 

A basin plan to adapt to climate change

The Mediterranean climate is changing, and this is having an impact on the water resources available.

Our relationship with water has become one of the main indicators of the changes that are taking place across the region. Droughts, floods, these sometimes violent phenomena hit the countries bordering the Mediterranean, impacting populations and disrupting our economic systems and natural environments.

To ensure integrated management of water resources, two climate change adaptation plans have been put in place for French Mediterranean rivers: one continental, the other Corsican. They map out a course of action in the water sector in response to the climate emergency. These plans mobilise all those involved in the water sector, including local authorities, farmers, industry and private individuals. The adaptation plans make it possible to spread the collective effort to save water, limit soil drying, reduce the natural risks of flooding and submersion, and preserve biodiversity and water quality

The Water Agency is coordinating these public decision-making tools, which are available to local players, with the services of the State and the Corsican authorities;

• The climate change adaptation basin plans make it possible to identify and prioritise the actions to be implemented in order to reduce the vulnerability of the territories according to their exposure to the effects of climate change.
• Basin plans for adaptation to climate change facilitate public decision-making at both global and local levels by proposing concrete solutions.
• Basin plans for adapting to climate change are now a reference method that can be adapted to all Mediterranean rivers.

Climate change is here to stay, and to ensure the proper management of our freshwater resources and the Mediterranean, we need to act faster! Let's act harder!

Coastal Protection and Development Agency 

Vulnerability and adaptation of the Tunisian coastline to marine submersion

This event will be dedicated to debating the issue of the foreseeable submersion by the sea of ​​low-lying lands in Tunisian coastal areas, the expected future impacts such as the salinization of groundwater and the nature-based solutions to be put in place

In Tunisia, rising sea levels have become a major concern, exacerbating the risks associated with climate change. Tunisia's coasts are facing a gradual rise in sea levels, threatening coastal ecosystems and local communities.

The consequences of rising sea levels are manifold. Coastal communities are facing economic losses linked to the destruction of infrastructure, real estate, agricultural land and coastal water tables. In addition, the salinisation of soil and groundwater due to seawater intrusion threatens food and water security. As for marine ecosystems, flooding can lead to the loss of essential habitats, endangering marine biodiversity.

APAL Concept Note

 BUSINESS FRANCE

Actions for water and climate

The water and sanitation situation in the Mediterranean region is a major challenge for sustainable development, public health, and environmental protection. According to the report by the Mediterranean Water Observatory (OME), published in 2020, some 180 million people in the Mediterranean region have no access to drinking water and 250 million are deprived of adequate sanitation services. These figures are even more worrying given that the region is facing growing challenges linked to climate change, population growth, urbanisation, and conflicts

This highlights the need to adopt an integrated and participatory approach to water management, considering the needs of the various sectors and stakeholders, as well as the specific characteristics of watersheds. It also calls for greater regional and international cooperation, the mobilisation of more financial resources and the promotion of technological and social innovation to improve the efficiency and resilience of water and sanitation systems in the Mediterranean.

Organised on the initiative of Business France, with the support of the French Development Agency group, the French Treasury, the Research Institute for Development, and the French water sector clusters (Aqua Valley, Dream and Hydreos), this seminar aims to put forward actions and operational solutions to bring to the Mediterranean region. An event carried out in close collaboration with the Mediterranean Water Institute, with the contribution of national and regional institutional experts such as SONEDE, ONAS, CITET, the Sahel and Sahara Observatory and other Mediterranean operators. Register online:https://forms.office.com/e/XX1PFVPBru

BF Agenda

Swiss Cooperation in Tunisia

Cross-border water management:Towards shared stability, security and prosperity

More than half the world's population depends on shared water resources on a daily basis: surface water, transboundary rivers and lakes, or groundwater contained in large aquifers covering several countries.

The equitable sharing of these resources and the benefits they provide, while respecting the various social, economic and environmental needs, is one of the greatest challenges facing us today in the face of increasingly critical situations, especially in regions where water resources are suffering from both growing demand and climate change. This is particularly the case in the Mediterranean region, especially in the Middle East and North Africa. The resulting water stress threatens the stability, the security and therefore the prosperity of populations.

Promoting concerted governance of these cross-border waters thus becomes a global challenge to manage hydrological, social, economic and ecological interdependencies for the benefit of sustainable development shared between countries. The aim is to prevent water-related tensions and conflicts by transforming this vital resource for all life on earth into a vector for collaboration and peace.

Although the current global crises are numerous, international and regional cooperation, and some of its innovative initiatives, offer encouraging prospects for tackling the many challenges. For it is only by investing in collaborative solutions that countries sharing major rivers and aquifers will be able to secure the quantity and quality of water supplies for future generations

The panel will therefore not limit itself to describing and analysing the challenges associated with cross-border water management. It is intended to be forward-looking and will instead focus on solutions by presenting initiatives supported, in particular by Switzerland, to highlight the importance and opportunities of international cooperation for the coordinated and peaceful management of cross-border waters

Concept Note

Panellists

El Kanaouet 

Transporting drinking water using prestressed concrete pressure pipes

Le transport de l’eau potable est effectué par le mode de canalisations enterrées en béton précontraint, en fonte ductile et en autres matières. Le mérite du tuyau en béton précontraint, en plus du coût, est la protection de l’environnement et l’absence d’altération de la qualité de l’eau. Le tuyau en béton précontraint est un output d’une industrie qui ne contribue guère au réchauffement climatique (pas d’émission de carbone et d’autres gaz à effet de serre). La présentation de ce produit centenaire dans le transport de l’eau des barrages aux communes et inter-barrage, par El Kanaouet, contribuera à la vulgarisation de ce produit et à la démonstration de ses avantages comparatifs vis-à-vis du tuyau en polypropylène ou en Polyvinyle Chloride (PVC) et notamment vis-à-vis du tuyau en fonte ou en acier dont l’industrie est fortement émettrice de CO2 et de GES. Le Side Event d’El Kanaouet sera une occasion pour la discussion des tuyaux pression en général et la démonstration de la nuance la plus adaptée au transport de l’eau, par diamètre et par pression.

Flyer El Kanaouet

Euro Mediterranean Center on climate change

Transformative management of water resources in the Mediterranean region

Portée : Discussion multi-perspective sur les compromis existants dans la conception et la mise en œuvre de solutions intelligentes pour l’eau dans le cadre de changements environnementaux et socio-économiques. La discussion impliquera des experts en science des données, en modélisation, en surveillance en temps réel et en télédétection, ainsi que des parties prenantes des projets, qui interagiront avec le public.

Participants : Le public cible de l’événement sera constitué d’experts en gestion de l’eau des secteurs privé et public, de gestionnaires de l’environnement et d’ONG, de décideurs politiques, ainsi que d’universitaires désireux de comprendre les solutions possibles et les goulets d’étranglement de la numérisation et de la gestion durable de l’eau.

Bref résumé : La région méditerranéenne est confrontée à des défis climatiques de longue date tels que la hausse des températures, l’irrégularité des précipitations et la rareté de l’eau. La gestion traditionnelle de l’eau n’est pas en mesure de répondre à la demande croissante. Pour y remédier, il est essentiel d’adopter des approches transformatrices mettant l’accent sur les stratégies d’adaptation, le renforcement de la résilience et la collaboration internationale. Ces mesures, y compris les systèmes d’alerte précoce et l’adaptation de l’agriculture, nécessitent un engagement global avec les communautés locales et les parties prenantes. L’objectif est de garantir une utilisation équitable et durable des ressources en eau vitales dans cette région interconnectée.

The content is drawing upon several European funded projects - including two that are funded from the PRIMA - Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean region

Note de Concept – Gestion Transformative des ressources en eau

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Le plan d’adaptation national au changement climatique

Side Event objective To share adaptation approaches relating to the water sector in Tunisia and to present the "National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change in Tunisia" in collaboration between the FAO and Tunisia.

As the world population increases, so does the demand for water in various domains of human life, including food production, domestic use, and industry. Among these sectors, agriculture stands out as the largest consumer, with "irrigated agriculture accounting for more than 70 percent of global water withdrawals, and, globally, 41 percent of withdrawals are not compatible with sustaining ecosystem services," according to FAO. The enhancement of water management can be achieved through diverse approaches, including strategic planning, such as National Adaptation Plans, and the implementation of best management practices such as water productivity.

In the case of Tunisia, the country is ranked as vulnerable to climate change. To address this vulnerability, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources, and Fisheries (MARHP) and the Ministry of Environment, are collaborating on numerous aspects related to water and climate change. The side event aims to share significant experiences in the development of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) focused on "Food Security and Agricultural Sector Adaptation" and highlight Tunisia's experiences in water productivity and water accounting using remote sensing through the Water efficiency, productivity, and sustainability in the NENA regions (WEPS-NENA) project. Water efficiency, productivity and sustainability in the NENA region (WEPS-NENA)".

Fondation du Prince Albert II de Monaco

How nature can contribute to the water crisis?

This Side-Event, co-organized by the Donors' Initiative for Mediterranean Freshwater Ecosystems (DIMFE) and MedWET, aims to understand the crucial role played by freshwater ecosystems in addressing the water crisis in the Mediterranean. Shedding light on the often underestimated importance of these ecosystems, the event will discuss how they can be mobilized and preserved to contribute positively to water management. This dynamic side-event provides an opportunity to meet experts, explore innovative projects, and discuss investment and funding opportunities to safeguard these ecosystems. Join us in shaping a future where nature, rather than being overlooked, emerges as the key to our shared prosperity

DIMFE - MEDWET Agenda

 Global Water Partnership Med

Using system thinking to enhance Water Quality, Sustainability and Climate Resilience in the Mediterranean source-to-sea continuum – The MedProgramme.

MedProgramme promotes the integration between Water (fresh and marine), economies and productive sectors, Land-use, Land-sea interactions and climate change along the Source to Sea continuum.

And this is done through a set of multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and multi-level systemic planning approaches: from Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), to Integrated Management Planning (IMP), the Water, Energy, Food, Ecosystems NEXUS approach, and the Conjunctive management of surface and groundwater resources. The side-event will explore how the GEF programmatic approach is declined in the Mediterranean for the first time ever in the Water sector.

MedProgramme

 GVA-Interreg Next Med

Possibilités de financement pour la gestion de l’eau dans le cadre de la coopération méditerranéenne : Le programme Interreg NEXT MED

The Mediterranean area is characterized by widely known problems related to the access to water: unevenly distributed water resources, increased pollution, inefficient distribution and poor wastewater management.

In this context, the Interreg NEXT MED Programme, the largest EU-funded cooperation Programme in the Mediterranean has included access to water and sustainable water management among its specific objectives. The new call for proposals, whose deadline for applications is the 28th March, will allocate more than 10€M to collaborative projects addressing this topic.

The Programme will select the best projects to perform actions such as technology transfer, utilisation of research outcomes and adaptation to local needs and capacities in the fields of water efficiency, water-related climate change adaptation, water saving incentives, water cycle management and water bodies rehabilitation. It can also help increase uptake of relevant technologies through pilots and proof-of-concept approaches.

Join us in this session to discover the opportunities the Programme is offering. We will present some inspiring success stories of Tunisian entities who executed water-related projects under the previous ENI CBC MED Programme.

Abstract Next Med Programme

 IUCN Med/WWF Afrique du Nord

Opportunities and solutions to reinforce the governance of the Medjerda basin

Objectives:

- Present and discuss the results of the analysis of the current governance of the Medjerda basin

- Reflect on improving water management, adaptation to climate change, protection and restoration of high ecological value ecosystems and enhancing the livelihoods of local communities

– Lancer le comité de pilotage du projet BRIDGE.

Concept Note 

Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources and Fisheries of Tunisia/GIZ Water Programme

Stratégic tools for water management 

The side-event "Strategic tools for water management" focuses on the crucial importance of the efficient management of the supply and demand of water resources with the aim of achieving a sustainable water balance, a major challenge in a global context of climate change and population growth

This side-event will feature 1) the tool developed as part of the Tunisian Strategy "Water 2050" and 2) will present a participatory system developed as an awareness-raising tool in which participants of the side-event are invited to actively participate. Through this simulation, which is based on real data from Tunisia, the participants will be able to manage water to achieve a hydraulic balance in Tunisia and will be used to draw lessons for their own countries.

Ministry of Environment Tunisia 

National Strategy for Ecological Transition

The National Strategy for Ecological Transition (SNTE), approved by the Council of Ministers on 3 February 2023, attaches crucial importance to transformational change in our modes of production, consumption and cohabitation, in harmony with the spatio-temporal and intergenerational context. The SNTE is made up of 5 priorities, including the sustainable management of resources and ecosystems. The implementation of this strategy, with its 53 measures that are consistent with the other strategies and development plans undertaken by the government in all sectors, including water, requires the involvement of all stakeholders and sectors, including donors. This side-event will provide an opportunity to communicate more effectively on this strategy, with a view to mobilising more partnerships and cooperation.

Concept Note 

National Sanitation Office (ONAS) 

Treated wastewater reuse strategy 2050

The aim is to promote the reuse of non-conventional resources, mainly "New Water" treated wastewater, in order to mitigate the impacts of Climate Change (CC) and the growing demand for water, within a framework that complies with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)". Key words: reuse, purified water, treated wastewater, New Water, climate change, sustainable development, ODD, CC, EUT, REUT 2050

Concept Note ONAS

International Labour Organisation

Water and community resilience: the experience of the International Labour Organisation in the governorates of Jendouba and Kébili

Dans le contexte diversifié de la Tunisie, où le nord et le sud font face à des réalités hydriques contrastées dues aux changements climatiques. À la commune de Galâa-Maâden-Forgsan, au nord, le projet pilote de développement local et d’aménagement hydraulique et hydroagricole intégrés des ressources en eau de l’Oued El Barka commune de Galaa Maaden Forgsan a tiré profit des ressources en eau abondantes et du paysage naturel, transformant le défis de développement en une opportunité, par la réhabilitation du périmètre irrigué Ouled Ali qui a permis l’irrigation de 77 hectares tout en améliorant la vie de 30 agriculteurs. Dans le sud aride du gouvernorat de Kebili, le projet d’agriculture géothermale à El Faouar a été émergé comme une solution innovante à la pénurie d’eau, en utilisant l’eau chaude géothermale pour irriguer 53 serres, le projet a diversifié l’agriculture, offrant une perspective économique aux agriculteurs dans une région souvent confrontée à des défis climatiques Ces deux expériences, bien qu’adaptées à des contextes distincts, partagent le fil conducteur de la résilience, démontrant la flexibilité et l’efficacité des interventions axées sur l’eau pour répondre aux besoins spécifiques de chaque communauté.

Concept Note

Société du Canal de Provence

Agritech and remote sensing for sustainable irrigation

Water is a scarce resource to be shared among all territories and uses.

The challenge in our Mediterranean context is to compensate the lack of water in the summer period during which crops are growing.

SCP has been working on this issue for several years and has developed solutions at different scales.

Agenda

• feedback on the drought's impacts on the plant and the importance on anticipating water shortage phenomenon.
• SCP’s knowledge sharing on water saving solutions whether at the plot with Agritech or at a territorial scale, with remote sensing.

Plaquette_Solutions_Agriculture SCP

UfM/GWP Med

 2nd WEFE Nexus Regional Roundtable in the Mediterranean

The 2nd Regional Roundtable on Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus in the Mediterranean will gather stakeholders from around the Region to discuss the draft “WEFE Nexus Strategy in the Mediterranean Source to Sea continuum”.

It is held within the joint initiative of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the UN Environment Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP-MAP), and the European Union (EU). It is organized by the Global Water Partnership - Mediterranean (GWP-Med) in the framework of the GEF UNEP/MAP MedProgramme Child Project 2.2 on WEFE Nexus, in cooperation with the WES-EU Project and the PRIMA Foundation

Concept note Nexus

National water exploitation and distribution company (SONEDE)

SONEDE's strategy for supplying drinking water in a difficult climate change context

The control and management of water resources are universally recognized as essential conditions for ensuring sustainable economic development, securing water resources and ensuring access for all to sustainably managed water supply services as defined in SDGs 6 of the 2030 Agenda
These challenges become increasingly important because Tunisia, a country with a semi-arid climate, has to cope with severe water stress in light of deep uneven geographical distribution of available water resources, in addition to the problem of salinity. Climate change, as well as the health and economic context, makes the strategic management of water resources more complex and urgent, particularly in a global environment of ecological transition.
Tunisia benefits from a long-standing ancestral tradition of good water management that dates back to the Carthaginian Era (814-146 BC) until the 2nd century AD with water transported through Roman aqueducts in Zaghouan. The country has a highly variable annual rainfall with rainfall falling below 100 mm in the extreme south and can exceed 1,500 mm in the north-western region which forms only a narrow fringe of the territory. Drought in Tunisia, combined with the variability of the Mediterranean climate, makes water a scarce resource that is unevenly distributed in time and space.
The average conventional resources that can be mobilized, estimated at 4.8 billion m3/year, are exploited at a rate of 20% for drinking water and 80% for irrigation. These resources have witnessed a significant decline in recent years.
TUNISIA is increasingly affected by climate change, leading to strong negative impacts on the water sector and placing it under a state of absolute water shortage. Tunisia, a less industrially developed country, has little or no responsibility for the devastating consequences caused by climate change.
In 2022, drinking water needs reached 800 Mm3 of which 50 Mm3, or 6%, comes from desalinated water. The current National Desalination Program provides for the construction of new seawater and brackish water desalination plants. the target annual production is 320 Mm3/year, representing 30% of drinking water needs by 2050.
TUNISIA is increasingly affected by climate change, leading to strong negative impacts on the water sector and placing it under a state of absolute water shortage. Tunisia, a less industrially developed country, has little or no responsibility for the devastating consequences caused by climate change.
This strategy is composed of several pillars, including strengthening management capabilities and improving performance with the aim of modernizing the company through optimal management of resources, digital transformation, energy transition, enhancing the service quality provided to its customers, ensuring its financial sustainability, as well as preserving its assets and improving their management.
With regard to water supply, this flexible strategy is reflected in the implementation of major projects to transfer surplus water from the north, water transfer axis projects, water highways in rural areas, and network performance improvement projects, as well as the national water desalination program.
This National Desalination Program is subject to reflection and remains open for review, which will lead to increased use of seawater desalination and an expected schedule for extensions and entry into service of desalination plants.
Water desalination is an energy-intensive technology that has major financial impacts on drinking water production costs. Thus, the National Desalination Program must be based on the virtuous “Water – Energy” Nexus through the use of renewable energies by implementing several photovoltaic power plants for a total capacity of 180 MWp.
The experience that SONEDE has accumulated over several decades is mainly exported to Africa through its subsidiary SONEDE INTERNATIONAL created in 2009

Concept Note

UFMS/GWPMED/AECID/CAWTAR 

Gender Dynamics and the WEFE Nexus in the Mediterranean

Co-organised by UfM, AECID, GWP-Med, and CAWTAR, the side -event on “Gender dynamics and the WEFE Nexus in the Mediterranean” aims to unlock the potential of women in sustainable water resource management within a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus context. It will also contribute to ‘gendering’ the UfM Water agenda, and advocate for a gender-transformative approach in the formulation of policies and decisionmaking processes at various levels.

Concept Note Gender