Fostering regional dialogue on Water in the Mediterranean

Water fosters human security, supports economic growth and provides for environmental needs. The Southern shores of the Mediterranean are among the world’s most water-scarce areas, with more than 150 million people facing water stress. According to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC), this figure is set to rise by a further 80-100 million by 2025.

The effects of climate change, including more extreme phenomena like droughts and floods, are likely to exacerbate the situation, both in the south and north of the Mediterranean.

The Fifth Meeting of the Water Expert Group (WEG) of the Union for the Mediterranean took place in Luxembourg on 23 and 24 November 2015. The meeting allowed for a relaunch of a regular regional dialogue on water issues of common interest, building on the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water, which was held at the Dead Sea, Jordan, in December 2008, and the Fourth WEG, which took place in Barcelona in 2011.

The meeting provided the opportunity to integrate in the debate emerging issues like the water-energy-food-ecosystem nexus as well as pressing challenges like climate change.

The meeting was organised by the UfM Co-Presidency together with the UfM Secretariat and was attended by representatives of the UfM member states, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations as well as experts from relevant water organisations.

Learn More

• Recommended Conclusions (EN)
• Conclusions Recommandées (FR)
• موجز الاستنتاجات الموصى بها (AR)
• Concept Note (EN)
• مذكرة مفاهيم (AR)
• Regional project towards a Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform – Presentation
• Water and climate change : How to deal with in river basin management plans?
• Stakeholder involvement in the management of water resources
• SEE 2020 Strategy: Integrated Trans-boundary Water Resource Management
• Towards a Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean
• 4^th Expert Water Group Meeting