EMWIS Flash n°140 - Septembre-Octobre 2018

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In this issue N°140 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash140)
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HEADLINE

1- The 9th Water Expert Group Meeting of the UfM - 5-6 November Athens

In Brief

4- The Investment Forum of Cairo Water Week

5- COP24: The biggest immediate opportunity for countries to step up climate action

6- EU farm policy – evaluation of its impact on water

7- PRIMA Info Day 2018

8- Second Meeting of the UfM Working Group on Environment and Climate Change (WGECC)

9- The 5th European Water Conference took place in Vienna on 20-21 September 2018

10- Med Greenhouses at Med'Agri trade show

11- Visca at Climateurope Festival 2018: Fostering the Collaboration among Climate Services Community

12- Life-Anadry contribution to "urban waste management and circular economy" 

13-  EdiCitNet project launched: edible solutions for growing cities

14- SWOS final workshop and Policy Conference: Lessons Learned and Outlook for Global Wetland Monitoring

15- SWIM-H2020 SM Consultation workshop on a desalination by-law in Morocco

16- COST Action "Circular City": nature based solutions for a resourceful circular city

17- Solar powered irrigation: climate-friendly, reliable and affordable but risk of over-exploitation

18- Cyprus to allow private individuals to install desalination units

19- Turkey to help Albania in flood disaster management

20- Turkey: Innovative waste heat recovery plant

21- Greece: Municipalities react to quarry picks for landfills 

22-  EU Parliament adopts Morocco-EU PRIMA Scientific Cooperation Agreement

23- Tunisia: Climate change threatens 36,000 jobs in tourism and agriculture

24- Tunisia: The Ministry of Agriculture proposes a strategy for the good management of irrigation water 

25- Jordan: Water minister discusses cooperation with German and Turkish ambassadors

26-  France: The South-West mobilization for the Climate change

27- Ireland: Pesticides levels in water supplies in four areas of the country above EU standards

NOMINATIONS & VACANCIES

PUBLICATIONS

CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS

CALL FOR PAPERS

TRAINING AND COURSES

EVENTS

CONTACT US / COMMENTS

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HEADLINE
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1- The 9th Meeting of the Water Expert Group (WEG) was held on 5-6 November 2018 in Athens. It followed up on the discussions and decisions of the 8th Meeting of the WEG held in Amman on 1st February 2018 to implement the mandate in the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Water (Malta, April 2017). The WEG agreed on the basic content, priority thematic areas and way forward, and launched the development of the associated Financial Strategy. In December 2017, the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) validated the four thematic work areas of the UfM Water Agneda: Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem nexus (WEFE); Water-Employment-Migration (WEM); Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and Water and Climate Change Adaptation. The 9th Meeting of the WEG was a crucial step in the development of the UfM Water Agenda. The  WEG9 reviewed the progress made under the different thematic areas, discussed the objectives and long-term work programmes proposed by the task forces, identified potential partners and resources to assist in their implementation. The 9th Meeting has also dedicate a Special Session to the UfM Water Agenda’s Financial Strategy. Further information on EMWIS website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- New York, 22 September.  The Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Nasser Kamel, participated in the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA73), between the 22/27 September 2018, to highlight the importance of the Euro-Mediterranean region to the development of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the role of the UfM in its regional promotion and implementation.The presence of the Secretary General in New York was the occasion to meet with partner institutions and other stakeholders of the Euro-Mediterranean region, with whom the UfM is cooperating and creating synergies in order to promote a positive agenda for the Mediterranean. These contacts included meetings at the highest level with the UNDP, the Islamic Development Bank, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, the UN Office for South-South Cooperation, the International Labour Organization, the Arab League, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change or the Special Envoy of the UNSG for the Oceans. Further information on EMWIS website 

3- MEPs adopted new rules on 23 October to further improve the quality of and access to drinking water for all people and reduce plastic waste from water bottles. Most people in the EU have good access to high quality drinking water. According to a report by the European Environment Agency (2016), more than 98.5% of water quality tests carried out on drinking water samples between 2011 and 2013, met EU standards.The EU Drinking Water Directive sets minimum quality standards for water intended for human consumption (drinking, cooking, other domestic purposes), in order to protect us from contamination. Parliament voted in favour of an update of the rules to increase consumer confidence and encourage the drinking of tap water. MEPs call on EU countries to “promote universal access” to clean water for everyone, especially vulnerable groups with no or only limited access. Further information on EMWIS website 

4- The Investment Forum of Cairo Water Week was held on October 17, 2018. At the opening, the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, His Excellency Mohamed Abdel-Ati set out his three priorities for the water sector: continue the development of desalination, significantly improve the quality of water distributed and treated, and strengthen water security in Egypt and the region as part of the fight against illegal immigration. EU Ambassador Ivan Surkoš has officially announced the "EU4Water in Egypt" program (€ 150m over 4 years divided between technical assistance and financing of infrastructure projects in the form of syndicated loans in partnership with European and multilateral donors). The European Union has presented its External Investment Plan, divided into three pillars, including the European Sustainable Development Fund (EFSD) and its guarantee offer open to the private sector. One of the fund's four areas is entitled "Sustainable Cities" and focuses on the water sector. These guarantees can be mobilized notably by the municipalities and by the companies within the framework of PPP. Further information on EMWIS website

5- The alarming report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in October made it crystal clear that every country, business and person in the world will need to step up climate action if the world is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C (2.7°F). Breaching this temperature threshold would bring catastrophic impacts the world has never seen, from even more extreme weather events to coral reef die-off to food insecurity. The upcoming climate change conference in Katowice, Poland from 03 to 14 December (COP24) is the single-biggest immediate opportunity for countries to show they’re taking the 1.5°C report seriously. What countries say and do in Poland will determine climate efforts for years to come. It will either bring the world closer to meeting the Paris Agreement goal of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°-2°C or push action further down the road—making it harder and more expensive to respond to climate change. Further information on EMWIS website

6- The EU launched an evaluation on EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) impact on water. It will focus on the quality and quantity of water and  it will assess whether the measures are effective, efficient, in line with EU legislation, relevant and add value. The Feedback period is 29.10.2018 - 26.11.2018. All feedback received may be published on the European Commission webpage and will be summarized and presented to the European Parliament and Council, with the aim of feeding into the legislative debate.Further information on EMWIS website

7- On 4th December 2018, a PRIMA Infoday will take place at the UfM Secretariat Premises, in Barcelona for the presentation of PRIMA Action Work for 2019 in view of the official launch of the 2019 Call for proposals. The event will provide information about the PRIMA initiative and all aspects of the Call process. PRIMA will provide live streaming of the event for those who cannot attend. Further information on EMWIS website

8- As mandated by the UfM Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Change (Athens, 2014), the Second Meeting of the Working Group on Environment and Climate Change (WGECC) will take place on 12-13 November 2018 in Barcelona. The Working Group is mandated to meet regularly, at least every two years, and where appropriate in synergy with other regional meetings dealing with environment or climate issues. The Working group aims to review progress in the implementation up to date of the recommendations of the 2014 UfM Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Climate Change, and provide suggestions for further action and follow up. This meeting will be linked with a meeting of the climate change task force of the UfM Water Agenda. Further information on EMWIS website

9-  The 5th European Water Conference was jointly organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment and the Austrian EU Presidency with the aim to review progress on the implementation of EU water legislation. Around 400 representatives from EU countries, stakeholder groups in relevant economic, social and environmental sectors, the European Commission, the European Environment Agency and other EU institutions had the opportunity to learn from each other's experiences in view of the next water planning cycles. The ongoing Fitness Check of the Water Framework Directive, its associated Directives and the Floods Directive, and the evaluation of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) was also discussed. Further information on EMWIS website

10- On 17 October 2018, SEMIDE organized a consultation meeting on "Strengthening Innovation in the Mediterranean Greenhouses" in the framework of MED Agri trade show2018 held in Avignon-France. The event was organized in collaboration with the Regional Chamber of Agriculture PACA, the Pole terralia, ADEME, BRGM and Filclair. 40 persons participated at the session, they represented different actors from different organization from the national and regional levels (SME’s, students, researchers, Chambers of Agriculture, public authorities…). During the session  the  actors discussed  the key challenges and needs for further development of Greenhouse agriculture in PACA region.  Greenhouse farming allows for minimize risks due to extreme climate events with a limited impact on the Environment. Similar consultations are done in other Mediterranean countries and will be consolidated into a Med Greenhouse cluster. Presentations are availble on EMWIS website

11- The 2nd edition of the Climateurope Festival was organised in Belgrade from 17th to 19th October 2018 in order to support the exchange of knowledge and cultivate efforts for climate change adaptation and mitigation informed by science. VISCA project (Climate services for vineyards) was presented during the Climateurope Festival 2018 in 2 different sessions, one on the “Future of wine: Round table / Impulse talks” on October 18th and the other on “Climate information at your services I. Agriculture: Storytelling session & Round table” on October 19t. Visca is an H2020 project that started on 2017 it intends to deploy a climate service tool that will provide wine producers with well-founded information to be able to apply correctly adaptation strategies on specific grape varieties and locations, to achieve optimum production results. Further information on Visca website

12- The Department of Environment and Hydraulic Works of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa participated in the Life ANADRY Conference  "Management of urban waste and circular economy: initiatives and challenges" organized by Ceit-IK4 on 18 October 2018 in Donostia / San Sebastiá, Spain. The meeting brought together various agents involved in waste management and has addressed issues such as sludge management and it also presented new technologies for the circular management of urban waste. The presentation of the seminar was given by the Deputy for the Environment, José Ignacio Asensio, the President of Ceit-IK4, José María Rodríguez-Ibabe and the Director of the Water and Health Division of Ceit-IK4, Enrique Aymerich. José Ignacio Asensio, Regional Deputy of Environmental and Hydraulic Works in Gipuzkoa , stated that "Gipuzkoa has achieved a breakthrough with selective collection, now with the start-up of the Gipuzkoa Environmental Complex infrastructures we should aspire to double the recycling sector to reach 10,000 jobs". José Mª Rodríguez Ibabe, President of Ceit-IK4 said: "Our challenge is to convert what we consider waste into resources and raw materials. The circular economy and public-private collaboration are fundamental axes for this ". Further information on Life-Anadry website

13- From 19 - to 21 September 2018, SEMIDE as  member of the consortium participated at the kick off meeting of the new H2020 project EdiCitNet "Edible Cities Network Integrating Edible City Solutions for social resilient and sustainably productive cities". EdiCitNet will leverage the substantial benefits that Edible Cities Solutions effect today at local level and catalyse their replication EU- and world-wide by launching a fully open and participatory network of cities, empowering their inhabitants by a common methodology  to systematically explore the wealth and diversity of existing ECS and to adapt, plan and implement successfully proven ECS in their specific urban context. EdiCitNet won the first rank within the call H2020-SCC-2016-2017 of the European Commission and will be funded for the next 5 years for around 12 million Euros. It is the largest EC project ever coordinated at the Technical University of Berlin. Click here for further information on the project

14- 5-7 November in  Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium,  two interactive and dynamic events have been organized by SWOS partners. 5-6 November a Training Workshop gave a final opportunity to existing and new users to familiarize with SWOS tools and results around different service cases or learn about new features in particular a cloud version allowing easy satellite data acquisition as well as the production of thematic maps. On 7 November a full-day conference on the current threats and trends affecting wetlands was held with high level representatives from RAMSAR, IUCN, EC DG ENV and EC DG Research. It highlighted the role of SWOS in filling the information gap on wetlands as well as fact-based evidence for appropriate policy responses. Further information on SWOS website

15- A Consultation Workshop on the draft version of the Decree on Desalination for the Application of the Moroccan Water Law 36-15, was organized by the EU funded SWIM and Horizon 2020 SM Project on 22 October 2018 in Rabat, Morocco. During the Workshop, the content of the draft Decree was thoroughly discussed between representatives of the public sector, ministerial departments concerned, other stakeholders involved in the field of desalination, the working group for its preparation and the SWIM-H2020 SM team for their comments and exchange of views towards the finalisation of the text. Further information on EMWIS website

16- The COST Action CA17133 "Circular City" was launched in Brussels on 22nd of October. It aims at implementing nature based solutions for creating a resourceful circular city. It brings together a multidisciplinary team representing all 38 COST countries to build an interdisciplinary platform for connecting city planners, architects, system designers, economists, engineers and researchers from social and natural sciences that develop nature based solutions in the urban landscape that are facilitate circular economies based on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recover) and allow cities to cope with future challenges. EMWIS is involved in the Management Committee of the Action for France. The action will develop guidelines and capacity building around the following themes: built environment, urban water, urban farming and resources recovery. Further information on EMWIS website

17- 16 October 2018, Cairo, Egypt – Solar powered irrigation systems are climate-friendly, reliable and affordable but they need to be adequately managed and regulated to avoid the risk of unsustainable water use, said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations during Cairo Water Week 2018. In a session on the opportunities and challenges of solar technologies in agriculture, FAO highlighted the water-energy-food nexus and available tools to support climate-smart development. “Solar powered irrigation can be a very resourceful tool for small-scale family farmers to increase their income and therefore improve their livelihoods and food security,” said Pasquale Steduto, FAO Regional Programme Coordinator for Near East and North Africa (NENA). FAO’s Water Scarcity Initiative in the Near East and North Africa Region has been giving special focus to the use of solar energy for agricultural irrigation and sustainable development. Further information on EMWIS website

18- The government of Cyprus has approved a guide which allows private individuals to install desalination plants of up to 1,500 m3/d. The guide provides for a “flexible and swift” approvals process that takes no more than a month, and determines where facilities can be located. The move intends to help meet demand from water consumers including farmers, and operators of hotels, golf courses, and water parks. Further information on  EMWIS website  

19- Turkey's Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Akif Ozkaldi on Friday 9 November 2018 visited Albania's capital to hold talks on cooperation for flood disaster management.  Ozkaldi met representatives of Albania-Turkey Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ATTSO) in Tirana. Following the meeting, Ozkaldi told Anadolu Agency that they are visiting Albania to discuss the possible cooperations between the two countries on repetitive floods that have hit the country in the past two years. The delegation will also meet Albanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Niko Peleshi to discuss issues such as water investments, flood, agriculture and forestry. Further information on  EMWIS website   

20- Turkey’s first energy generation plant which will generate energy from Waste Heat using the technology of ‘Organic Rankine Cycle’ project, will be supplied by CTP Team Italy. Team Italy signed a turnkey contract for the Energy Generation from Waste Heat project of Cimko Narli Cement Plant, a subsidiary of Sanko Holding, in the first quarter of 2018. With the Organic Rankine Cycle System which will be applied for the first time in Turkey, the wasted gas from the furnace cooling system will allow the 7 MW Turbo Generator generating electricity by evaporating the organic fluid which feeds the system. The energy plant to be installed will supply 12 percent of the current plant’s electricity needs, with an annual efficiency of 7920 hours and annual energy of 36 million KWh. Further information on EMWIS website

21- The municipalities of Kropia and Megara in Attica are reacting to a report that two disused quarries on their territories will be used as sanitary landfills to manage the Greek capital’s waste, saying the areas are inappropriate. The quarries near the towns of Koropi and Megara, along with a facility under construction at Grammatiko, have been selected by Attica’s Solid Waste Management Authority (EDSNA) to replace Athens’s main landfill at Fyli. The European Commission has repeatedly fined Greece millions of euros over environmental violations at Fyli. In a press release, ESDNA expressed surprise at the municipalities’ reaction and claiming the quarry sites had already been announced in 2003 and 2017 respectively. The Municipality of Kropia claims the Koropi site is too close to Athens International Airport (5.9 km) and the town of Koropi (1.2 km). Further information on EMWIS website

22- The European Parliament (EP) on 02 October 2018 overwhelmingly adopted the scientific and technological cooperation agreement between Morocco and the European Union (EU) laying down the conditions and modalities for the Kingdom's participation in the new Partnership on Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA). Further information on EMWIS Webiste

23- Thirty-six thousand jobs will be lost by 2050 in Tunisia, in agriculture and tourism, as a result of climate change. "These losses are the result of the vulnerability of the Tunisian coastline. The rise of sea level by 30 to 50 cm will certainly lead to various direct and indirect socio-economic impacts," said Minister of Local Affairs and Environment Riadh Mouakher at a meeting organised on Tuesday 09/10 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on planning and coastal resilience. "One of our urgent needs today is to find the most effective ways to address the degradation of vulnerable coastal ecosystems due to the pressure of climate change," the Minister pointed out. In the agriculture sector, the environment ministry foresees a loss of about 16,000 hectares of agricultural land in low-lying coastal areas and about 700,000 hectares of built-up areas by flooding. For tourism, climate change will lead to the deterioration of beach front hotels, with a total capacity of around 30,000 beds, due to the withdrawal of beaches and also port and coastal infrastructures. Further information on EMWIS website

24- The Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries proposed a five-year work strategy with a new agricultural map for the good management of irrigation through new techniques, said the State Secretary for water resources and fishing, Abdallah Rabhi. Rabhi added, during a conference on rationalization of irrigation water use, held on October 30, that an amount of 1000 million dinars (MD) was allocated to the modernization of irrigated areas. Water used for irrigation is estimated at 80% of water used in Tunisia, the Union of Tunisian Agriculture (UTAP) underlined also the importance to looking at new crops requesting less water. Further information on EMWIS website

25- The Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation Raed Abu Saud received separately on 24 October, German Ambassador Birgitta Siefker-Eberle and Turkish Ambassador Murat Karagoz and discussed water cooperation between Jordan and Germany and Turkey. During his meeting with the German ambassador, the minister stressed keenness to boost cooperation and benefit from the German expertise in the water field. The meeting also focused on water projects financed by Germany in the Kingdom. During the meeting with the Turkish ambassador, the minister reviewed Jordanian-Turkish cooperation including Turkish implemented projects in Jordan that have contributed to solving the water problem. Further information on EMWIS website

26- On 17th October in Bordeaux two Regional authorities, the State representative, the Chairman of the river basin Committee and the General Manager of the water agency have  been mobilized to create the Adour-Garonne Basin Water Agreement, and formalize the launching of a joint action to face the challenge of the water resource in the South-West of France. Participants affirmed their wish to initiate concrete actions to address the vulnerability of the Adour-Garonne Basin to the climate change effects. Further information on EMWIS website

27- Four water supplies, one in Kilkenny, two in Limerick and one in Longford currently have a level of pesticides above the set EU standard, according to Irish Water. While it said these pesticide levels are not a health risk, it is making sure that drinking water sources are protected from pesticides, the National Pesticides and Drinking Water Action Group is taking action. These include informing the public and other local stakeholders on the correct and safe use of pesticides. The pesticide that is being detected most frequently in drinking water supplies in Ireland is an herbicide called MCPA. This herbicide is in many products used to control thistle, dock and rush. This increase is because products containing MCPA are being used to control weeds on hard surfaces, in gardens, on farms or in forestry.  In the coming weeks Irish Water will write to 140,000 homes and businesses on the public water network whose supplies are on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Remedial Action List (RAL). Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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28- Plan bleu: Call for applicants. In the framework of the project “Overarching activities addressing Wetland Conservation in the Mediterranean Region: Saltpan Initiative and Socioeconomic valuation of coastal wetlands”, a consultant is seeked to work on the economic valuation of a selection of ecosystem services provided by the freshwater lagoon of S'Ena Arrubia, located in the Gulf of Oristano, Sardinia (Italy). The consultancy will extend on the period November 2018 to November 2019. Closing date of the call : November 23rd 2018. Further information on EMWIS website

29- Junior Pro­fess­or­ship in Urban Water Resources Management: As part of the Ten­ure Track Pro­gramme of the German Federal Government and the Federal States, the Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Institute of Urban and Indus­trial Water Management, seeks to fill the Junior Professorship (W1) in Urban Water Resources Management (with tenure track to W3) with a four year contract as a temporary public official, to be filled at 1st October 2019. If the interim evaluation is positive, the employment contract will be extended to a total of six years. In the fifth year, a tenure evaluation will be carried out by a TU Dresden evaluation commission. Deadline for application : 6 December 2018.  Further information on EMWIS website 

30- Appointed Monday, November 5, 2018, as Minister of Local Affairs and Environment of Tunisia in the new government of Youssef Chahed, Mokhtar Hammami succeeds Riadh Mouakhar.
Mokhtar Hammami was until his appointment the President of the Instance of Foresight and Support of the Decentralization Process at the Ministry of Environment and Local Affairs. He has also held the position of  General  Director of Local Government in the Ministry of Local Government. Further information on  EMWIS website 

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PUBLICATIONS
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31- On 19 October, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation, Mr. Léo, presented the Report of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation to the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly on the principle of accountability. Further information on the report on EMWIS website

32- On 8 October the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) launched a new report on ‘Global Warming of 1.5ºC’ and announced that limiting global warming to 1.5ºC would require rapid, farreaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society. With clear benefits to people and natural ecosystems, limiting global warming to 1.5ºC compared to 2ºC could go hand in hand with ensuring a more sustainable and equitable society. Further information on the report on EMWIS website

33- "Role and Effectivness of the EU Policies in the Fields of Water and Agriculture in Morocco: A Bottom-up Approach" this paper is part of a series of works aiming to study the efficiency of EU policies in the countries of the South Mediterranean under the MEDRESET project. Further information on the report on EMWIS website

34- "Hydrodiplomatie and nexus - Water - Energy - Food" By Fadi Georges Comair. This book provides a detailed overview of the legal basis of the hydrodiplomacy concept and the environmental, economic, and political benefits of its use at the international level. It also gives illustrations of its implementation through case studies in various parts of the world. Further information on the report on EMWIS website

35- "Climate change and interconnected risks to sustainable development in the Mediterranean" Recent climate change has stronger impacts on the Mediterranean Basin than before, causing additional concerns in an environment also affected by other problems such as land use change (urbanization, intensified agriculture), pollution and declining biodiversity. This is shown in a recent study from MedECC network's experts. Further information on the report on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS
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36- The 3rd call for project proposals will be open from 30th October 2018 to 31st January 2019 at noon (Paris time). This call is targeted to the Programme priority axes 1 (only sub-objective “Blue Growth”) and 3, and only to the following type of projects: Multi-module M2 Testing + M3 Capitalising. The application process will be conducted in 2 phases: a pre-application phase and a full application one. Further information on  EMWIS website

37-Tunisia: Pre-announcement-call for agricultural impact projects. Following the official announcement of the priorities for agricultural scientific research by 2030 on 27/09/2018, IRESA intends to launch a call for proposals for agricultural impact research projects for the period 2019- 2022. Further information on  EMWIS website

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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38- Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus in the Mediterranean - Seeking examples of best practices: The European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the Global Water Partnership  for the Mediterranean (GWP-Med) have joined forces to address the complex nexus between the water, energy, food and ecosystem sectors in the Mediterranean region. Following the objectives set out in the UfM  Water Declaration, and under the umbrella of the UfM Task Force, the three organisations are currently preparing a joint "Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus"publication in the form of a Nexus Atlas. The Atlas will include examples that highlight the benefits of integrating a nexus way of thinking from economic, societal and environmental perspectives, and cover a range of activities, from large-scale projects to local examples, for instance at the farm level. Based on hands-on experience, these examples will show and explain the benefits that multiple water-using sectors can gain from the joint planning of water allocation and use compared to simply planning by sector. Interested parties  can suggest useful examples by completing the 'Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystem Nexus – Best practice example' form  and sending it to: JRC-UFM-GWPMed-ATLAS@ec.europa.eu. Case studies must refer to existing initiatives and activities, not to ones that are planned or have just started. The suggested case studies will be carefully assessed, analysed and discussed by JRC scientists, and the most representative case studies will be selected for inclusion in the Atlas. The call for proposals is open until 31 December 2018. Further information on  EMWIS website

39- The Symposium on Climate Change Adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa Region, will be held in Rabat, Morocco, on 7th-8th March 2019. The event will focus on “Accelerating Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation in the MENA region”, meaning that it will serve the purpose of showcasing experiences from research, field projects and best practice to foster climate change adaptation among countries in the region, which may be useful or implemented elsewhere. The deadlines are as follows:
Deadline for the submission of abstracts: 30th November 2018
Deadline for registrations: 30th January 2019
Deadline for submission of papers: 30th March 2019

Further information on  EMWIS website 

40-  The GRECPIMA2019 "International Groundwater Resilience to Climate Change and High Pressure Conference"  will be held at AKM conference center at Muğla Sıtkı Kocman University, Muğla, Turkey. GRECPIMA stands for Groundwater Resilience to Climate Change and High Pressure  and the Conference will address the past, present and future role of groundwater to satisfy world’s water needs in a threatened environment. Deadline for abstract submission 30 November 2018. Further information on   EMWIS website

41-  The Sustainable Natural Resources Management Under Global Change  conference will be held on April 10-12th, 2019 in Hammamet, Tunisia. The topics of the conference include:
1. Ecology and management of forests eco-systems and rangelands 2. Watershed management, soils conservation and agricultural practices 3. Water resources management 4. Economics of the environment and the natural resources use. Deadline for abstract submission 9 December 2018. Further information on  EMWIS website

42-  Call for sumbmissions: Good Practices, Success Stories and Lessons Learned in SDGs Implementation. The unated Nations department of Economic and social affairs (UN DESA) is launching a call for submissions of good practices, success stories and lessons learned in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. An event will be organized in the lead-up to the 2019 HLPF convened under the auspices of the General Assembly to showcase a selection of the good practices and success stories and to present the main findings of the evidence-based stock-taking. It is hoped that the submission, collection, analysis and dissemination of good practices, success stories and lessons learned will help galvanize the momentum for implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. Submissions can be made between 1 November 2018 and 28 February 2019 by using a web-based portal. Further information on  EMWIS website

43- Mediterranean Water Heroes Contest around World Water Day 2019 on Water and Migration. To amplify the voice of regional youth on this topic, the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) is launching the third edition of its Mediterranean youth workshop on Water and Migration. In the run-up to this workshop, the third edition of the “Mediterranean Water Heroes” youth contest will offer young water activists from around the Mediterranean the opportunity to showcase their innovative work on water and migration. Applications will be submitted online in either English or Arabic. Contest prizes will be determined by CMI in collaboration with the Water Hub over the coming months. The selected contest winners will be offered a speaking role in the different World Water Day 2019 workshop sessions in Marrakech, Morocco. Deadline  application December 23rd. Further information on  EMWIS website

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TRAINING
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[11/02/2019 - 15/02/2019] Advanced course on "Livestock and climate change: Assessment of emissions, mitigation options and adaptation strategies" at the IAMZ-CIHEAM in Zaragoza (Spain). Further information on  EMWIS website

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Events
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