Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector

The Egyptian EMWIS National Focal Point launches a new website

2009-05-04T00:00:00Z

MWRI EMWIS Website

The Information, Documentation and Decision Support System Department (IDDSSD), representing the Egyptian EMWIS National Focal Point (NFP), has finalised the Egyptian website of the Euro-Mediterranean Information System of the Knowhow in the Water Sector (EMWIS-SEMIDE). It is noteworthy that work in both versions of the website (English & Arabic) took a year and a half.

The site was expected to come out in a more voluminous form, however, due to difficulties that faced the project, it was acceptable to reach that outcome. The project's fund was officially ended last February. Owing to the need for finalizing the website's security parameters, it was decided to publish the full content in early May.

Spain approves US$80mn grant for water, sanitation projects in Bolivia

2009-04-16T00:00:00Z

The Spanish government has approved a US$80mn donation to Bolivia’s environment and water ministry for potable water and sewerage projects [and the construction of water intake systems], Bolivian government news agency ABI reported. [The package is part of a water and sanitation development plan that requires US$500mn].

[An earlier report] in local paper El Informador reported that Bolivian authorities [sought] financial support in Spain to cover the cost of a series of water projects [worth] US$ 150mn. Germany, Canada and Sweden [had] already offered their support to carry them out. [Spain has denied an announcement made by President Evo Morales of Bolivia, that it would give some 700mn euros out of of the 1.5bn-euro Spanish water fund to support projects in the country].

Syria signs the Financing Agreement with European Commission and Managing Authority

2009-04-28T00:00:00Z

The Syrian Arab Republic has recently signed a Financing Agreement with the European Commission. This document, countersigned by the Joint Managing Authority, lays down administrative, legal and financial provisions for the participation of Syrian beneficiaries in the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Sea Basin Programme.

Negotiations are currently underway with the other Mediterranean Partner Countries (MPC) involved in the Programme. Financing Agreements shall be signed before December 31st 2009 in order to allow MPC partners to receive Programme funds.

Technical Backstopping Officer for MedMPAnet Project

2009-04-17T20:31:01Z

The Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) is the lead agency charged bu the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP/UNEP) to coordinate the implementation of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Bioloigcal Diversity in the Mediterranean.

Under the overall guiding of RAC/SPA Director, the Co-ordination and Technical Backstopping Officer will be in charge to support the MedMPAnet Project Officer, through the appropriate actions to implement the project activities.

The project will be implemented during a five years period. The initial engagement will be for 1 year, renewable upon performance assessment up to the 5 years project extent. Start on duty is planned within June 2009.

Candidates should send their CV in English or French, in UN format P11, by e-mail and rapid post accompanied by a motivation letter (1-2 pages) no later than 30 April 2009 to:

Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA)
UNEP-MAP
B.P. 337 - 1080 Tunis Cedex. TUNISIA
Ref: MedMPA net project Technical backstopping officer
Fax: + 216 71 206 490
Email: car-asp@rac-spa.org

Tunisia held a workshop on the “GIS applied to freshwater biodiversity assessment”

2009-04-01T00:00:00Z

From 19 to 23 January, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation held a regional workshop in the city of Hammamet (Tunisia) regarding the “Geographical Information System (GIS) applied to freshwater biodiversity assessment”.

These work sessions enabled the 32 water-resource managers and environmental planners from the five North African countries to incorporate spatial information on freshwater biodiversity, particularly information coming from Red List assessments (distribution of threatened species), into their planning activities and development processes.

In addition, the workshop allowed the network of regional experts to develop further and likewise to share existing information between experts and decision makers.

Given the participation and the feedback received, the meeting held by the ‘International Institute for Geo- Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC)’ , together with experts from IUCN-Med, turned out to be a great success.

2009-04-07T00:00:00Z

Urgent: Postponing 3rd Aquawareness stakeholder meeting

2009-04-23T00:00:00Z

The 3rd Aquawareness stakeholder meeting which was foreseen to take place in Brussels on Tuesday, 5th May 2009 has been postoponed to a later date.

WaDImena at the WWF5

2009-04-24T00:00:00Z

WaDImena was heavily involved in the thematic, regional and political processes which are integrated during the development of the Forum, as well as in taking part in the Forum activities. WaDImena and IDRC supported 22 participants, mostly from the MENA region, to attend the forum. Also, convened and took part in four main activities, those are:

Thematic Session 4.2.5 "Opening Glass Doors: What regulation can improve openness and transparency?” co-convened by WaDImena, AWC and UN-Habitat.
MENA/Arab Countries regional day, convened by the AWC.
IFAD/IDRC side event “Addressing water scarcity in rural and marginal areas of Arab countries: Innovative solutions”.
3 Way Dialogue session between the regions 'In and around Turkey', 'MENA' and the 'Mediterranian'.
IFAD Booth.

WANA countries call for continued collaboration to tackle common economic, social and environmental challenges

2009-04-22T00:00:00Z

Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa, HRH Prince Hassan and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari attend the opening ceremony of the WANA Forum on Sunday (Photo courtesy of WANA)

The first annual West Asia-North Africa (WANA) Forum concluded on Monday with an agreement for continued collaboration to tackle economic, social and environmental challenges.

The need for clean water, affordable and safe food and housing and freedom of speech are among the main challenges facing these countries.

The WANA Forum is a new initiative that brings together people of all backgrounds from across the region to address such concerns and promote regional cooperation.

Around 50 high-ranking figures from WANA countries and 10 partners from outside the region participated in the forum.

In his address at Sunday’s opening ceremony, HRH Prince Hassan, chairperson of the forum, highlighted the need for greater regional cooperation.

He said WANA states need to work together to define common challenges and devise viable and sustainable solutions.

To achieve this goal, these countries need to form a comprehensive perspective of peace and adopt new policies that focus on human dignity and work to eliminate the “confidence gap”, the Prince added.

Noting the importance of countries in West Asia and North Africa, Prince Hassan said the region needs to act as a link among other world regions in terms of economic, social and environmental efforts.

Prince Hassan also called for establishing new Asian facts on the ground, such as an Asian monetary fund, and for action to develop human security and eliminate conflict and destruction.

At the two-day forum, supported by the Nippon Foundation, decision makers and civil society representatives from across the region worked to define and prioritise common challenges and concerns as well as means to address them.

One of the key speakers at the forum, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, said governments need to cooperate with civil society activists to establish change, and not marginalise them or view them as a threat.

Describing the initiative as a platform to address the region’s concerns, Nippon Foundation Chairman Yohei Sasakawa said he worked with Prince Hassan to develop the idea of the forum.

The forum was initiated in response to the need for non-threatening and constructive dialogue in the region, where people have been deprived of effective solutions to a wide range of issues, according to the WANA website.

The environmental track adopted four panels which will lead the research in the next five years in the WANA region:

Water Resources: chaired by Dr. Alaa El-Sadek, President of the Arab World Academy of Young Scientists, Egypt
Energy: chaired by Dr. Malek Kabariti, President of the National Energy Research Centre and founding member of the Trans-Mediterranean, Renewable Energy Cooperation, Jordan
Climate change: chaired by Dr. Mohamed Raouf, Senior Environment Researcher at the Gulf Research, Center, Dubai, UAE
Green Economy: chaired by Dr. Javed Jabbar, Vice President of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Switzerland and former, Minister and Senator, Pakistan

--
Related press releases:

WANA countries call for continued collaboration to tackle common challenges (Jordan Times)

HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal to the Yemen Times: “Let’s ask the world to stop thinking of the pipelines and start thinking of the people living around them.” (Yemen Times)

Bring Hamas into peace process, investigate Israel: Ahtisaari (Tehran Times)

Nobel laureate slams Israel, its supporters: Ahtisaari seeks Hamas inclusion in peace process (The Dawn Media Group)

The Library of Alexandria at the WANA Forum

Open Letter by His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal and His Excellency President Martti Ahtisaari Announcing the Launch of the WANA Forum.
The Open Letter (Arabic Version)
Agenda of the First Annual WANA Forum
Agenda of the First Annual WANA Forum (Arabic Version)
Process Summary - WANA Forum
Process Summary - WANA Forum (Arabic Version)
President Martti Ahtisaari - Speech
President Marti Ahtisaari - Speech (Arabic Version)
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa - Speech
Mr. Yohei Sasakawa - Speech (Arabic Version)
Participants List
Secretariat List

FINAL REPORT

WANA Forum: Building trust together

2009-04-30T00:00:00Z

Under the leadership of HRH prince Hassan bin Talal, sixty individuals from across the West Asia and North Africa region came together to establish WANA Forum. The forum's mission is to facilitate dialogue amongst people of the region from all sections of society, in order to develop practical solutions to address the most pressing social, economic and environmental needs of West Asia- North Africa as a whole.

The group behind this form presented a number of proposals which will be formed and advocated for among decision makers as a campaign for policy changes.

This initiative will help strengthen regional multilateral dialogue centered on shared human concerns by providing a non-threatening forum for decision makers, civil society and the people of the region. We will work together to ensure the continuous exchange of ideas and initiatives, yielding concrete policy proposals for regional cooperation. And advocate creative and effective policies to be adopted by decision makers at local, national and regional levels.

The WANA Forum is based on seven principles:

Mutual respect: committing to working together and searching for common ground.
Cultural diversity: facilitating unprejudiced dialogue and appreciating a wide spectrum of views on regional development from various countries in WANA.
Inclusiveness: ensuring adequate opportunities for participation, paying special attention to those often marginalized from political process in the region especially civil society.
Empowerment: prioritizing policy issues which empower all stakeholders, choosing working methods that facilitate empowerment in the future, long after the conclusion of the WANA process.
Practicality: aiming to move from ideas to action.
Openness and transparency: ensuring adequate availability of information about the process.
Balance: aiming for representation of individuals and stakeholder groups from different backgrounds and ideologies within the WANA Forum.

This new process will help integrate works of responsible individuals within WANA who want to make a difference but need to work within a structural framework. I'm WANA member and you could be too. All you need to have is a will to change and a clear vision of how and what you can do. To get involved, visit www.wanaforum.org, you can send questions and feedback to

info@wanaforum.org

WATENV - New Master of Science programme in Water Resources and Environmental Management, Leibniz University of Hannover, Germany.

2009-04-24T00:00:00Z

WATENV is a research oriented international Master of Science Programme hosted at Leibniz University of Hanover, Germany.

Students obtain interdisciplinary knowledge and key qualifications in the field of sustainable water resources management. Graduates are prepared to take responsible positions e.g. in research and higher environmental administration. Quality and availability of water are more and more threatened by societal and environmental change.

There is a growing demand for experts in water related subjects, which offers great job opportunities in the developing countries above all.
Description: research oriented, interdisciplinary presence Master course for international students
Course of Studies: non-consecutive postgraduate course
Language: English
Application Deadline: April, 15th (late application up to July, 15th)
Duration: 2 years (1.5 years in-class, 0.5 years Master thesis)
Final Degree: Master of Science (MSc)

Water: the essence of life - LIFE and River Basin Management Plans

2009-04-02T00:00:00Z

European citizens rank water quality as one of their main environmental priorities and a number of LIFE projects are helping to guide the implementation of EU water policy.

The EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) provides Member States with an important policy tool to manage water quality and quantity in our rivers, lakes, ground waters and seas. A core aspect of the WFD involves promoting water management that addresses environmental, economic and social factors within an integrated package of inclusive actions.

River basins districts are highlighted in the WFD as the most effective platforms for implementing coordinated approaches. These natural geographical and hydrological areas make more environmental sense for planning water quality measures than administrative or political boundaries, since many rivers cross regional and national frontiers.

In recognition of these facts, the WFD has established legal requirements for environmental authorities to develop River Basin Management Plans (RBMP). The deadline for these RBMPs to be in place is December 2009 and a key conference on RBMP preparation will take place in Brussels on 2-3 April 2009.

Focussing on, “today's water policy shaping future water quality”, the 2nd European Water conference is billed as an important milestone in the European debate on the preparation of the RBMPs. The conference aims to draw maximum attention to the RBMPs by encouraging active involvement of citizens and stakeholders. Core concepts covered during the two day programme include:

Public participation in the RBMP process;
Agriculture’s contribution to good water management;
Sustainable modifications to watercourses;
Getting price signals right to facilitate sustainable water use; and
Management of European watercourses in the view of climate change impacts.

A wide range of different LIFE projects have been actively involved in water management issues that support the objectives of RBMPs. These include the following selection of LIFE Environment, LIFE Nature and LIFE TCY projects:

LIFE02 ENV/UK/000140 successfully demonstrated innovative methods for integrated management of groundwater resources in former coal mining areas. These were collated within guidance material that has attracted interest from around the EU;
LIFE00 NAT/A/007053 enhanced wild river landscapes of the Tyrolean Lech by restoring free-flowing water habitats and took account of the needs for flood protection and local socio-economic conditions;
LIFE03 ENV/S/000601 showed how Europe’s forestry sector can contribute to the WFD objectives through techniques such as design of forest watersheds and appropriate forest management outside riparian and alluvial zones;
LIFE99ENV/DK/000619 developed a European Centre for River Restoration (ECRR) to promote the rehabilitation of rivers and riparian areas in Europe. The ECRR brought together 350 institutions and private individuals from Member States to share and improve knowledge about river restoration models;
LIFE03 NAT/A/000011 strengthened and regenerated characteristic river landscapes of the Upper River Mur, as a prerequisite for maintaining rare and endangered species of fauna and flora; and
LIFE06 TCY/INT/000246 supported sustainable management approaches for the Sava river basin flood plains through works that built trans-boundary cooperation capacities and designed a coherent network of biodiversity buffer zones and ecological corridors.

Further information about LIFE projects’ links with the aims and objectives of RBMPs can be found in the brochure LIFE and Europe’s rivers, which features various examples of LIFE actions supporting integrated river basin management.

Water Quality and Quantity Serious Problem

2009-04-24T00:00:00Z

Almost 2/3 of Europeans consider that the quality of water in their country is a serious problem, according to a special Eurobarometer survey on Europeans' opinion on water issues published by the European Commission. The report also shows that Europeans see the quantity of available water as an equally serious problem. More than a third of Europeans feel that over the last five years the quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters has deteriorated.

Some 68% of Europeans think the quality of water in their country is a serious problem. The most worried are the Greeks where 90% of people are concerned about water and the least alarmed are the Austrians (26%). Concern about the quantity of water is greatest in Cyprus where 97% of Cypriots feel water quantity is a serious problem compared to 63% of Europeans on average. Least concerned are the Finns with 23%.

More Europeans (37%) feel the quality of water in their country has deteriorated over the last 5 years against 30% who think it has stayed the same and 27% who say it has improved. Three out of four Cypriots believe the quality of water deteriorated compared to 16% in Austria and 48% of Danes. Only 17% of Greeks think water quality is the same as before while 48% of Dutch and only 5% of Cypriots say it has improved.

A large number of Europeans say they are taking steps to reduce water-related problems. Some 84% of them have reduced their water consumption, with 97% of Cypriots saying they have done so over the past 2 years while 56% of Romanians have. The use of environmentally-friendly household chemicals is another way Europeans are reducing their household's impact of water. With 78%, Austrians are the most likely to use such chemicals while only 33% of Romanians are.

The Water Framework Directive requires Member States to prepare River Basin Management Plans for all river basin districts by the end of 2009. Consultations open to the public for 6 months must be carried out on draft plans, to be available at least 12 months prior to this date. The process is currently on-going in most Member States, but relatively few European citizens polled have taken part despite widespread interest.

The water we eat: irrigated agriculture's heavy toll

2009-04-24T00:00:00Z

Agriculture imposes a heavy and growing burden on Europe's water resources, threatening water shortages and damage to ecosystems. To achieve sustainable water use, farmers must be given the right price incentives, advice and assistance.

Food is intrinsically bound to human wellbeing. Besides the importance of good food for good health and the pleasure we derive from eating, agricultural production plays a vital role supporting individual livelihoods and the wider economy.

But food production also consumes a lot of water – an equally vital resource. Agriculture accounts for 24 % of water abstraction in Europe and while that might not sound like much compared to the 44 % abstracted for cooling water in energy production, its impact on reserves is much greater. Whereas almost all cooling water is returned to a water body, for agriculture the figure is often just a third.

In addition, agricultural water use is unevenly spread. In some southern European regions, agriculture accounts for more than 80 % of water abstraction. And peak abstraction typically occurs in the summer when water is least available, maximizing detrimental impacts.

The EEA's recent report, Water resources across Europe — confronting water scarcity and drought, describes the grave impacts of excessive abstraction. Overexploiting resources increases the likelihood of severe water shortages during dry periods. But it also means diminished water quality (because pollutants are less diluted) and the risk of salt water intrusion into groundwater in coastal regions. River and lake ecosystems can also be severely affected, harming or killing plants and animals, when water levels drop or dry out completely.

World's major rivers 'drying up'

2009-04-27T00:00:00Z

Some of the developing world's largest rivers are drying up because of climate change, threatening water supplies in some of the most populous places on Earth, say scientists.

Researchers from the US-based National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) analysed data combined with computer models to assess flow in 925 rivers — nearly three quarters of the world's running water supply — between 1948 and 2004.

A third of these had registered a change in flow and most of them — including the Niger in West Africa, the Ganges in South Asia and the Yellow River in China — were dryer.

Rivers are losing water for a variety of possible reasons, say the researchers, including the installation of dams and the use of water for agriculture. But in many cases the decrease in flow is because of climate change, which is altering rainfall patterns and increasing evaporation because of higher temperatures.

Flow has increased in some developing world rivers. The Brahmaputra in India and China's Yangtze River are stable or have higher flows than in the past but this might not last long, say the scientists, as the Himalayan glaciers that feed them are disappearing.

As well as endangering water supplies, the decreased river flow could affect the world's climate. If less freshwater is discharged into the oceans they become saltier, which could affect salinity- and temperature-driven ocean circulation patterns that in turn play a fundamental role in climate regulation.

The research will be published in the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate next month (15 May).