The UfM Parliamentary Assembly and the Secretariat to strengthen cooperation on environmental and water projects

Barcelona, 30 November, 2012. – The UfM Parliamentary Assembly Committee for Energy, Environment and Water conducted today a working visit to the premises of the UfM Secretariat in Barcelona. The Committee Delegation was represented by its Chairman, Mr. Stefan Schennach, from the Austrian Parliament; Dr. Martine Mergen, from the Luxembourg Parliament; and a representative from the Knesset, Mrs. Orits Zuaretz.

Dr. Rafiq Husseini, Deputy Secretary General for Environment and Water, presented the Environment and Water Division’s projects and work. He highlighted the importance of the Desalination Facility for the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian and strategic project for which Parliamentarians can play a key role in obtaining support.

They discussed the possible synergies between the institutions on Special Protected Areas to preserve marine environment and promote projects for the management and creation of Marine Protected areas, in cooperation with relevant institutions such as the United Nations Environment Program – Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP-MAP) and MedPAN, the network of managers of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean.

They had the opportunity to discuss an emerging idea of awareness campaign in the Mediterranean towards cleaning waste in urban and rural areas, an experience that has been successfully implemented as “let’s do it” campaign in Latvia and Slovenia. The Mediterranean would benefit a lot from such a mobilization of volunteers and various stakeholders including public authorities.

The Committee Delegation also met with the Energy Division to discuss the Parliamentarian engagement in the process of building the Mediterranean Solar Plan, and it was a positive occasion to discuss the modalities of such engagement.