EMWIS flash n°131 - November/December 2016

EMWIS Flash - November / December 2016 Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector For further information: www.emwis.net & check our page at facebook Flash produced by the EMWIS Technical Unit- OIEAU, CEDEX, CHJ, DG Agua Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform  Geo-Catalogue / UfM-Water WEAM4i / PAWA / NWRM / MED-3R/ R-KNOW  / SAID / OpIRIS / SWOS / LIFE-ANADRY/demEAUmed/4PRIMA/ Mediterranean sustainable cities

                                                               EMWIS Technical Unit wishes you a peaceful and Happy New Year 2017                                                          

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In this issue N°131 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash131)
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HEADLINE

1- UfM Water Expert Group: Ministerial event planned in April 2017

In Brief

2- Successful water day at UNFCCC COP22 in Marrakech

3- Action Plan of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean officially endorsed by Ministers at COP22

4- SEIS South II and H2020 Review & Monitoring Steering Committee, Athens

5- EU, UfM and key actors discuss role of climate action in sustainable development and stability of the Mediterranean region
6- ERANETMED - Second Joint Call on "Environmental challenges and solutions for vulnerable communities" - List of projects approved for funding

7- SWIM-H2020 SM “Drought Risk Management (DRM) Mainstreaming” Regional Training

8- Sentinel-1 Satellite Radar observation scenario

9- Hydrodiplomacy and climate change for peace in the Middle East
10- 1st Trophies of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean

11- The Incubation Programme for Green Entrepreneurs in the Mediterranean is about to start

12- 4PRIMA: Alignment for Research & Innovation in water & food systems in the Mediterranean region

13- SAID: Final conference and training workshop 30 November, Malaga Spain

14- WEAM4i: Save the date! Final Workshop practical application of WEF nexus, April 6th 2017, Barcelona-Spain

15- SWOS: Satellite data for Sebou river basin management, Morocco

16- Morocco: Turning sun into water in parched rural Morocco

17- Spain:  Important step toward the consolidation of the movement for public water

18- Egypt: Climate change to affect water availability announced former minister of Agriculture

19- Malta: Inauguration of Greywater Recycling System

20- Algeria: 45 billion dinars debt for the national water utility

21- France: A new time of river management is coming

22- France: #HackRisques : How to prevent natural risks

23- Italy: Putting indigenous peoples’ rights at the center of development

24- Tunisia: water harvesting techniques for sustainable agriculture and improving the resilience of southeastern regions

25- Tunisia: Public presentation of "SINEAU”: establishment of a national information system on water

NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES

PUBLICATIONS

CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS

CALL FOR PAPERS

TRAINING AND COURSES

EVENTS

BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
CONTACT US / COMMENTS

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HEADLINE
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1- The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfMS) together with UfM co-Presidency, Jordan and the European Commission organised the 6th meeting of the Water Expert Group in Brussels on 20 December 2016. The WEG is composed of representative of water Directors from UfM countries, the European Commission, as well as observers such as international financial institutions (IFI) and Mediterranean initiatives. The participants reviewed the documents produced by the WEG Drafting Group to prepare the UfM Ministerial Meeting on Water, to be held in Malta on 4 May 2017. This drafting group was set-up at the last meeting of the WEG in November 2015 (Luxembourg). On the basis of elements towards a Ministerial declaration on Water discussed, a draft Ministerial declaration will be prepared in January 2017 for validation at the next Senior Officials Meeting. The Ministerial meeting planned in Malta, next May, will propose a Water agenda for action in the Mediterranean with a governance mechanism provided by the WEG and a financial strategy under discussion with IFI and donors. Further information on EMWIS website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- Successful water day at UNFCCC COP22 in Marrakech held on 9 November 2016: The mobilization of the international water community confirmed that the modification of the water cycle represents the primary impact of climate change. Thanks to this general awareness, and to the support of the UNFCCC, a dedicated water day has been included in the Global Climate Action Agenda (GCAA) during COP 22. The participants of this Water Action Day were very engaged in the discussion and the exchanges and were grateful to the UNFCCC and the organizers for this successful event. Three new initiatives have been proposed: -Harmonizing water and climate policies, launching a Water Action Plan for Climate Resilience which includes the development of water knowledge, decision support, and information systems (WIS) and appropriate financial and monitoring mechanisms; - Extending water access and sanitation services in Africa; -Reinforcing resilient water governance and promoting participatory, inclusive, integrated, and ecological water resources management. View full conclusions on EMWIS website

3-  Following the celebration of the 6th Technical Workshop of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean (Marseille 23-24 June 2016), a Ministerial Event was organised in Marrakech (Morocco) on the 16th of November 2016, on the occasion of the COP22. During this event, the 5+5 Ministers officially endorsed the Action Plan and Rules of Procedure of the Strategy adopted by the Ministers in Algiers, March 2014. Further information on EMWIS website

4- The 1st Steering Committee of the 2nd phase of implementation of the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) principles and practices in the ENP South region – SEIS Support Mechanism (ENI SEIS II South) took place in Athens on 12-14 December 2016. This meeting was the 1st merging of ENI SEIS and H2020 (depolluting the Mediterranean Sea) Review and Monitoring (RM) group which was beneficial to enhance coordination, common understanding and engagement from countries, regional initiatives and networks involved. It was agreed to keep that model for future meetings. An agreement was reached on the need to secure full convergence among all indicator initiatives and to facilitate a common response and communication around it. A short term working group was established to prepare a proposal for a core set of Med indicators. The preliminary ENI SEIS II website was presented (http://eni-seis.eionet.europa.eu/south) and will be populated progressively with supports from countries and results from previous phase (http://enpi-seis.pbe.eea.europa.eu/south). One of the main objectives of this second phase is to publish by 2019 the 2nd regional assessment of H2020 implementation based on indicators.  Further information on EMWIS website

5- High-level personalities including the EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, the Minister of Environment of Jordan, Yaseen Al-Khayyat, and the Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Fathallah Sijilmassi, discussed on 17 November at the COP22 in Marrakech, the benefits that low carbon developments could bring for the stability of the Mediterranean region. The event saw the presentation of the UfM publication “Key players’ perspective on Climate Change in the Mediterranean”, a unique compilation of views from the key Mediterranean actors currently involved in the field of climate action, including Ségolène Royal, President of the COP21 , Hakima El Haite, Moroccan Minister of the Environment - President of COP22, Miguel Arias Cañete, EU Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy, and Fathallah Sijilmassi, UfM Secretary General. Further information on EMWIS website

6- ERANETMED committee has conditionally approved 17 Mediterranean research projects following the last call for proposals launched in April 2016. XX are related to water issues: Development of a solar powered, zero liquid discharge Integrated DEsalination MembrAne system to address the needs for water of the Mediterranean region (IDEA - FR, DZ, GR, JO, IT, CY, EG); Wastewater bioremediation using Algae-Bacteria consortia for rural Area (WABA - FR, MO, SP); Olive mill wastewater: From a pollutant to green fuels, agricultural water source and bio-fertilizer (Waste2Fuel - FR, GE, GR, TN, TR); Integrated nanotechnologies for sustainable sensing water and sanitation (NanoSWS - GR MO, IT); Anywhere Water Desalination Plant to Improve Human Development (AWADID - CIHEAM, LB, JO, EG); Advance Materials for the Treatment of the Wastewater of the Textile Industry in the Mediterranean Basin ( Treat-Med - EG, CIHEAM, JO, TR). Find the list of projects approved on EMWIS website. Further information on EMWIS website

7- The SWIM-H2020 Support Mechanism organised a training on proactive Drought Risk Management (DRM) and DRM Mainstreaming (DRMM) for Mediterranean Partner Countries (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, [Libya], Morocco, Palestine, [Syria] and Tunisia). Key stakeholders of each country participated in this workshop. Nominees from the sectors of water, agriculture and other water-intensive sectors of the Partner Countries along with representatives of Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) were introduced and trained on issues related to preventive management of drought risk, based on the principle of “integration-mainstreaming” as proposed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies. Examples were provided from UK, Spain (Segura river basin), Italy (Arno River Basin with water accounts) as well as rain water retention solutions developed in Australia and Israel. Further information on EMWIS website

8- With the second Sentinel-1 satellite in orbit, the observation frequency of the European Space Agency mission now has significantly increased - for many regions of the Earth it is now up to 12 days. This temporal information dimension will enable further Earth Observation applications from monitoring of crop dynamics to seasonal water body in a timely manner and independent of cloud coverage - openly available to everyone. Further information on EMWIS website

9- The 2nd Edition of the Conference “Hydrodiplomacy and climate change for peace in the Middle East: Case of the Jordan River Basin”, was held on the 13th of December 2016 at the French Senate in Paris. Hydro-diplomacy is defined as a purely technical (first priority) and policy-related (second priority) approach that could facilitate the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) at the hydro-geographic basin, called "new water mass", which includes both conventional and non-conventional waters. Further information on EMWIS website

10- The first Trophies of adaptation to climate change in the Mediterranean were presented on November 12, 2016, in the framework of the COP22 in Marrakech. Ségolène Royal and Nizar Baraka, respectively President of COP21 and Chair of the Scientific Committee of COP22, awarded the prizes to the Association for the Development and Strategic Studies of Medenine (TN), the City of Ramallah (PS), the Faculty of Science Foundation University of Lisbon (PT) and Dar Si Hmad Association for Development, Education and Culture. Further information on EMWIS website

11- In the framework of the SwitchMed project, 132 entrepreneurs have been selected (out of 1408 candidates) and received 10 hours of individual coaching to improve their green business model. Eighteen of them have been chosen to enter the incubation phase. The selection was made by an International High Level Jury that operates pro bono and includes a group of independent experts from business, technical, institutional and academic sectors. They have been carefully appointed by SCP Regional Activity Center (RAC) of the UNEP-MAP and have extensive experience in the MENA countries. In total, 45 entrepreneurs will be selected by the end of the programme, i.e. 27 more. The 18 selected entrepreneurs are from SwitchMed target countries: 3 from Algeria, 3 from Israel, 1 from Jordan, 1 from Lebanon, 3 from Morocco, 2 from Palestine and 5 from Tunisia. Their business ideas can be clustered into 6 sectors: organic food and agriculture, renewable energy and energy efficiency, sustainable building and construction, sustainable cleaning products and cosmetics, waste management and resource efficiency. Further information on EMWIS website

12- On 12 December at CIHEAM Bari Italy, several international and EU bodies have participated to PRIMA meeting (UfM, UNIDO, FAO, ICARDA, Arab Water Council, World Bank, EC DG RTD and DG DEVCO). PRIMA (Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area) is a joint research and innovation programme focused on the development and application of innovative solutions for food systems and water resources. Today, a 225M€ cash contribution has been committed by participating PRIMA countries and the same amount from the EC for the initiative, over a 10-year period as from 2018. The aim of the meeting was to identify, compare and create synergies between Research & Innovation programmes in water and food systems and programmes/initiatives promoted by regional, EU and international donors in the Mediterranean region. The event was followed by an internal meeting of 4PRIMA Consortium. It was the occasion to discuss the progress of the project and to prepare the next activities and meetings in particular stakeholders consultation meetings to take place in several Mediterranean countries in 2017. Further information on 4Prima website 

13- SAID Final Conference and Training Workshop was held on 30 November 2016 in Malaga, Spain. 100 people attended the conference (dam managers, SME’s, students, researchers) and 12 participated online. During the conference the results of the project were presented to the public, including environmental policy perspectives and recommendations. The key-speakers have presented different ideas for the exploitation of said project and the application of SAID tools to other sectors. A training session on SAID tools for local users was held after the conference. Further information on SAID website 

14- WEAM4i Consortium (Water and Energy Advanced Management for Irrigation) is preparing its final workshop to be held in Barcelona on April 6th, 2017. The aim of the event is to present the results of the project and its successful case studies as well as to develop synergies with the different projects and initiatives working on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. The workshop will be joined by different stakeholders from the irrigation communities as well as water and energy sectors across Europe. Furthermore, sessions on the WEF nexus focusing on the policy perspectives will be organised in parallel to B2B roundtables gathering the end-users with the providers of WEAM4i smart irrigation tool. A preliminary agenda is already available, while key note speakers are going to be announced in the coming weeks. Registration is now open. Further information on WEAM4i website 

15- The Sebou River basin is one of the largest river basins in Morocco covering about 40 000 km2 (6% of national territory), 6 million inhabitants, 25% of the national groundwater reserve and 30% of the national surface water. It is one of the test site of SWOS project (Satellites Wetland Observation Services) focusing on Earth Observation for water resources management at river basin scale. The first exchanges with the ABH Sebou and local stakeholders (Ministry of Agriculture, High Commissariat for Water and Forests and Desertification) in Fes, allowed to identify priority areas where SWOS products could provide valuable inputs: 1- Support for flood risk management: monitoring flooded areas and comparison with hazard maps defined with models, integration of soil moisture into early warning monitoring network (today based on river water levels/flows), water retention maps based on land coverage, identification of risk areas with high resolution Land Use/Land Cover maps; 2- Identification of and monitoring pressures on water resources using Land Use Land Cover maps (reference and change maps); 3- Inventory and delineation of wetlands with a priority on the four restoration areas identified by the river basin management plan: Boujaoui, Dayat Hachlaf, Dayet Aoua and Dayat Afenourir; 4- And finally, monitoring vegetal coverage around water reservoirs to assess silting risk. Further information on SWOS website 

16- In Tafoughalt, the arid mountains of eastern Morocco, people know the value of water very well. “Every drop is like gold. It should almost be measured by the carat,” said local activist Najib Bachiri. Eight hundred kilometres away in bustling Marrakesh, negotiators have been thrashing out the details of a landmark global agreement designed to stave off disastrous climate change. But in Tafoughalt, a little village deep in the mountains of Morocco’s Berkane province, that impact is being felt already. Rising temperatures are among the factors making the rains increasingly unpredictable. As a consequence, life for the residents of Tafoughalt – who largely survive on subsistence farming – is becoming harder than ever. “Here, the farmers work on small plots that are barely enough to feed their families,” says Bachiri, head of campaign group Homme et Environnement (“Man and Environment”). Further information on EMWIS website

17- The first meeting of public water in cities took place on 3rd and 4th November, 2016 in Madrid, convened by La Red Agua Pública/the Public Water network in collaboration with the Municipal Council of Madrid. Three hundred participants (mayors, councillors, operators, social activists, professionals, representatives from the academic world and citizens interested in water services) met to exchange experiences and initiatives for the recovery of the public management of water, to analyse the potential and challenges of the re-municipalisation process, the implementation of new models of democratic and participatory management, the effective application of the human right to water and the implementation of shared collaboration strategies between social organisations and municipal councils. The main result of the event was a proposal to constitute a network of cities for public water as a collaboration instrument involving all actors interested in ensuring the public and democratic management of water and sanitation services. This network was supported by the mayors who participated in the closing round table. Further information on EMWIS website

18- Ayman Farid Abu Hadid, former Minister of Agriculture in Egypt, said that the increase of temperature by one degree Celsius will affect the amount of water available on the planet earth, and in case it rose by 3 degrees, it will affect the availability of food as a result of a significant shortfall in crop productivity. Abu Hadid added during a seminar at the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Minya, held on 7 December 2016, entitled "The future of agriculture in Egypt", that the water level of seas and oceans will rise in case temperature increases by 5 degrees Celsius, stressing that Egypt is one of the countries that would be affected by the water crisis in 2050 if it did not take precautionary measures in adaptation to climate change. Abu Hadid also stressed the need for the development of surface irrigation system, and proposed solutions to reduce water consumption, and increase crop productivity, including the agricultural land settlement using sprinkler and drip irrigation system, and genetic engineering and modern technology to improve productivity. Further information on EMWIS website

19- The Greywater Recycling System installed in Hellen Keller, Resource Center that will enable the reuse of treated water for garden irrigation was inaugurated by Her Excellency, The President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca. The installation is part of the globally recognized Alter Aqua program, which was introduced in 2011 in the Maltese Islands by the Coca-Cola Foundation, aiming at promoting the use of non-conventional water resources, such as rainwater harvesting, storm water management, grey-water recycling and treated wastewater reuse, as a sustainable way to increase water availability and adapt to climate change at local level. Further information on EMWIS website

20- The "Algérienne des eaux" (ADE) -Algerian Water Utility- holds debts worth 45.5 billion dinars, 65% from households and 26% from the administration. Several public administrations owe ADE 12 billion dinars. The report was prepared by the Director General of ADE, Mr Hocine Zaier, who chaired a training session for water professionals in Casablanca. Mr Zaier estimated that an average water network performance of 42% remains insufficient.  Further information on EMWIS website

21- A new time of river management is coming is the title of a short animation film on river management (GEMAPI) produced by the Rhone Mediterranean Corsica water Agency to present the key concept and actions related to the French GEMAPI law (gestion des milieux aquatiques et de prévention des inondations) related to the management of aquatic environments and flood prevention by municipalities or groups of municipalities. Further information on EMWIS website

22- The objective of the #HackRisques hackathon was to enhance the open data provided by the French ministry and its partners to develop natural risk prevention and management mechanisms. These measures should contribute to improving preventive actions, including the dissemination of information before, during and after the occurrence of a natural disaster. Thanks to relevant preventive information, citizens will be able to organize themselves in advance to adopt the right behaviors for their safety. Further information on EMWIS website

23-FAO and NGOs prepared a guide for project managers on Free Prior and Informed Consent: Indigenous Peoples' right to give or withhold consent to development projects that affect their natural resources and ways of life has become stronger thanks to a new manual that guides development actors in designing and implementing such projects. Further information on EMWIS website

24- During a workshop organised was in Djerba, Tunisia on 14 and 15 December 2016, FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture, water resources and fisheries launched a new project for the "development of water harvesting techniques for sustainable agriculture and improving the resilience of southeastern regions". This project confirms the ambition to contribute to food security and sustainable water resources management in rural regions. Pilot rainfall harvesting experiments will be expanded and strengthened by better organization of beneficiaries based on participatory management and operation. Further information on EMWIS website

25- The final workshop of the project for the development and implementation of a national information system on water in Tunisia "SINEAU" was held in Tunis on December 29, 2016. About 100 people attended the event organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries – Tunisia and the African Water Facility. On one hand, the Secretary of State for Hydraulics and Fisheries opened the session with a speech encouraging the establishment of information systems in all water related directorates and agencies in Tunisia in order to build a complete information system that will contribute to integrated water resources management. On the other hand, the representative of the African Water Facility affirmed that the project was a success and that the other African countries must be inspired and could follow the Tunisian example.  He said also that it is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the system. At the end of the session the project coordinator said that SINEAU will soon restart with a new phase and will integrate other components (sanitation, drinking water, hydroelectricity ...). SINEAU is now the first operational national system contributing to the Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform, the initiative labeled by UfM. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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26-  Vacancy: REACH Programme Manager at the School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford: The REACH Programme is a 7 year, £15m programme funded by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID). This project, led by the University of Oxford, involves a research consortium of global leaders in water science, policy and practice. It aims to increase water security for 5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia by 2022.  Further information on EMWIS website

27- Vacancy: The International  Office of water is recruiting a Water and Sanitation Project Engineer "European Projects". It is a 6-month fixed-term contract (post based in Limoges - 87). Further information on EMWIS website

28- Nomination: Cesar Abi Khalil was appointed new Minister of Energy and Water in Lebanon following the general election organized during the Autumn 2016. Further information on EMWIS website

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PUBLICATIONS
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29- Institutional settings for developing shared water information systems. Further information on EMWIS website

30- Action Plan and Rules of Procedure of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean officially endorsed by the 5+5 Ministers in COP22. Further information on EMWIS website

31- The European Environmental Agency published a new report on European water policies and human health. It examines the so-called ‘Water Industry Directives’ and their influence in the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD). This document will contribute to the revision of the WFD in 2019. Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS 
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32- Calls for projects in support of decentralized cooperation: The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports decentralized cooperation between French and foreign local authorities, on the basis of geographical and thematic priorities of cooperation. The program supports the projects from local authorities as well as national networks, consultation and regional coordination structures in the framework of calls for annual and triennial projects. Specific funds are also allocated in support of decentralized cooperation in particular in Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon and Palestine. Further information on EMWIS website

33- Call for projects from the Rhone-Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency: manage water and sanitation skills at the right level. The water agency is calling for projects to support local authorities on all matters related to the transfer of competences and structuring water and sanitation services in the context of implementation of the law "NOTRe". With a budget of 10 million euros, it is opened until 29 June 2018. The projects will be financed up to 80%. Further information on EMWIS website