EMWIS Flash n°144 - May - June 2019

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In this issue N°144 (http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash144)
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HEADLINE

1- Summit of the Two Shores: commitments for a new ambition in the Mediterranean

In Brief

2- 2nd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum

3- Achieving SDG6 and other SDGs in Mediterranean Region

4-  5+5 WSWM - Progressing in the Action Plan: 8th Working Group, Valencia 18/19 September 2019 

5- Regional workshop on the water indicators cluster of the UfM H2020 Initiative for a cleaner Mediterranean

6-  New steps towards a Mediterranean partnership for climate resilience water project

7- ‘Climate apartheid’: UN expert says human rights may not survive

8- PRIMA Kick-Off Meeting for Research and Innovation Mediterranean Projects selected in 2018

9- Enhancing capacity building addressing Water and Energy inter-linkages for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region- WG meeting Lebanon 25-26 June

10- A global system to protect the world’s food supplies from crop diseases

11- Youth and civil society commit to strengthening practical cooperation and development in the Mediterranean 

12- 11th INBO World General Assembly "Marrakesh International Summit on Water Security: Tapping the benefits of innovative & participative basin management"

13-  FAO: Online training on water accounting 

14- Sustain-coast kick-off:  Innovative Mediterranean coastal water resources management, Crete

15- VISCA: Climate services for vineyards, training meeting for DSS end-users, Turin, Italy

16- EdiCitNet:  Project annual meeting and training of trainers for Follower Cities, October 2019  in Girona

17- HYDROUSA: Third Management Meeting to Take Place on 10th-11th July 2019 in Barcelona, Spain

18- Med-Greenhouses: Register to training sessions on water and energy management in greenhouses sector 

19- Portugal has 80% of water needed for summer

20- Jordan: Hydroponic agriculture could help preserve scarce water in Jordan

21- Egypt launches EGP 1.2 billion plan to renovate sanitation and drinking water networks in Aswan

22- Bulgaria's Vratsa water utility signs deal for 25.6 mln euro EU-backed project 

23- Malta: Solar energy and water-saving systems help Malta International Airport reduce its ecological footprint

24- Lebanon: ICARDA Initiative supports Syrian refugees host communities in Lebanon

25- Morocco: Water at the centre of a working visit to the USA

26- Tunisia: Hydraulic infrastructure will be enriched with 7 new dams

27- Tunisia: "Digitalisation of agricultural sector is lagging behind and we are working to catch up", Minister Samir Taieb

28- France: Paris wants to convert farmers to organic production

29- France:  38 departments concerned by water restrictions

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- On June 23 of 2019 in Marseilles, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the 5+5 Dialogue (France, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya) signed the "Commitments for a new ambition in the Mediterranean" in order to implement the projects the civil society suggested and provide a collective response to the common challenges in the Mediterranean. The common ambition of the 5 + 5 countries has been divided into five major series of actions to be carried out jointly: 1. Commitments for a Mediterranean of knowledge and mobility/ 2. Commitments for a sustainable Mediterranean/ 3. Commitments for a pluricultural Mediterranean/ 4. Commitments for an innovative, digital and entrepreneurial Mediterranean/ 5. Commitments for a Mediterranean of cities and anchored in its territories. Further information on EMWIS website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- The Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean is organizing the 2nd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum: Supporting local authorities in their efforts towards the energy transition in Lisbon on 18 July 2019. The Forum is in line with the fulfillment of the UfM Roadmap aiming to “foster regional cooperation in the energy sector (interconnections, interdependency, efficiency, renewable energy, energy mix)” and ensuring the involvement of local authorities. The objectives of the 2nd UfM Energy and Climate Business Forum are to provide a networking space and to promote innovative and tangible financing solutions, private investment and public-private partnerships in the Euro-Mediterranean region oriented to local authorities’ efforts in achieving a sustainable energy transition and in facing climate change challenges. The event will bring together high-level government representatives, stakeholders, private sector investors, companies, services providers’ business representatives, international financial institutions and successful investment cases, with the aim of identifying business and networking opportunities and enhancing exchanges on regional best practices. Further information on EMWIS website

3-  The 1st Regional Conference of the joint UfM UNESCO-WWAP initiative Achieving SDG6 and other SDGs in Mediterranean Region was co-organized by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) on Wednesday 26 June, hosted by the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome. Regional cooperation, information exchange and policy coherence are fundamental in the water sector and critical for the achievement of SDG 6 on water and sanitation. This even more for the countries of the Mediterranean Sea as they have similar water resource problems and are exposed to similar drivers and pressures such as climate change, increasing water scarcity, population dynamics and migration. Due to the strong inter-dependencies of all SDGs, and particularly the strong linkages between SDG 6 and many other goals and targets, actions towards achieving SDG 6 will also enable progress towards other goals of the 2030 Agenda. UN-Water provided a state of play on SDG6 indicators in the Mediterranean, while countries presented their current approach to report on the progress towards the SDG6 targets. A preliminary programme of actions was discussed to allow a better monitoring of SDG6 indicators by countries, the Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform was highlighted as essential tool to build the necessary national cross-sectoral teams.  Further information on EMWIS website

4- The 8th Technical Working Group of the Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean (WSWM), will take place on 18th-19th September 2019, at the premises of the Jucar River Basin Authority, in Valencia, Spain, with the support of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Following up on the previous meeting of the Technical Working Group (WG7) that took place in Murcia (Spain), the next Working Group, will mainly focus on the stocktaking of the work accomplished so far and on discussing the Work Plan for 2019-2020, as a means to move forward with the implementation of the Action Plan. In addition the organization of a technical meeting addressing the issue of the 5+5 role in the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in  relation to the achievement of the 2020-2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United  in particular Goal 6.5  is forseen. Further information on EMWIS website

5- The ENI SEIS South II Support Mechanism organised on 9-10 July in Marseille (France) a technical workshop to review and provide guidance on assessment of the H2020 water cluster indicators at national and regional level; and  to make progress on the overall water thematic assessment of the H2020 indicator-based assessment report.  ENI SEIS South II aims at implementing the Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS) principles and practices in South and Eastern Mediterranean countries. It is jointly managed by the European Environment Agency and the UN environment Mediterranean Action Plan. The aim is to produce in 2020 the 2nd Horizon 2020 indicator based assessment report. Country representatives were provided with a guidance on water indicators assessment and an overview of the national support provided and planned by the support mechanism. Each country presented its status and progress of Mediterranean initiatives were presented: Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform and UfM SDG6 initiative, EC Water and Environment Support, OECD water governance indicators, MSSD indicators. Further information on EMWIS website

6- The UfM organized on 11 June 2019 its first technical Workshop on Project Preparation for Transformational Climate Resilience Water Projects in the Mediterranean Region for the Green Climate Fund. The Mediterranean countries, both from Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and Southeastern Europe (SEE), and in accordance to the UfM Water Policy Framework of Action 2030 have requested strengthening capacity of responsible national authorities and entities to access international climate financing instruments and to be assisted preparing climate resilience water projects, including to address challenges in the mainland and the coastal areas. The activity is part of the Med Water Matchmaker Project ‘Making Water Cooperation Happen in the Mediterranean’ and contributes to the GEF UN Environment/MAP Project on ‘Enhancing regional climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Areas’. The Workshop bring around the table participant from eleven countries of the UfM member states including Albania, Algeria, Egypt, Jordania, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Montenegro, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia- collectively discuss their priority project ideas and had concretely requested to put in place a partnership to assist the country to develop water projects from the Climate resilience portfolios specifically the Med region is the least country benefiting from these portfolios. Further information on EMWIS website

7- The world is increasingly at risk of “climate apartheid”, where the rich pay to escape heat and hunger caused by the escalating climate crisis while the rest of the world suffers, a report from a UN human rights expert has said. Philip Alston, UN special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said the impacts of global heating are likely to undermine not only basic rights to life, water, food, and housing for hundreds of millions of people, but also democracy and the rule of law. Further information on EMWIS website 

8-  To celebrate the start of the research and innovation projects funded under the first PRIMA Calls for Proposals (launched in 2018), a kick-off meeting was held on 20 June 2019 in Montpellier, France. Coordinators of PRIMA projects have briefly presented their project's objectives and partnership:  36  flagship projects responding to 12 different priority topics. The coordinators of projects under this new and ambitious programme had the opportunity to meet with the PRIMA Secretariat staff to learn more on the financial and scientific monitoring of the projects, as well as the most important legal aspects.  SEMIDE is partner in 2 PRIMA projects under section 1 (joint national funding) and section 2 (EU funding) Sustain-COAST (governance of coastal ground water) and SUPROMED (Enhancing the economic and environmental sustainability of Mediterranean farming systems through a more efficient management of water, energy and fertilizers). The kick-off meeting took place back-to-back with the ARIMNet2 International Conference  held on 18-19 June 2019 at INRA, Montpellier, France, the  researchers funded under the joint calls launched by ARIMNet and ARIMNet 2  also joined PRIMA meeting and had exchanged with PRIMA researchers. Further information on EMWIS website

9-  UN-ESCWA and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) with support from the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Sub-Fund, organized an  Expert Group Meeting on “Enhancing capacity building addressing Water and Energy interlinkages for Sustainable Development in the Arab Region”, the meeting was held in Lebanon on 25-26 June, it  took place on the sidelines of ESCWA’s Committees on Energy and Water Resources. The main objective of this meeting was to enhance ESCWA member countries and other relevant stakeholders ability to achieve an integrated and sustainable management of water and energy resources through South-South cooperation thereby contributing to the Sustainable Development of the Arab region. The meeting also aimed to assess progress on the water-energy nexus in the Arab Region within the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and Climate actions and to discuss institutional mechanisms and integrated approaches for pursuing policy coherence towards ensuring water and energy security at the regional and national levels. Participants were invited to identify a possible policy tool and instrument that can be applied to support  mainstreaming of water-energy interlinkages at the national level. Further information on EMWIS website

10-  A multidisciplinary group of experts from academia, research centres, and funding organisations propose a Global Surveillance System (GSS) to improve global food security by preventing crop diseases. The GSS would extend and adapt established biosecurity practices and networking facilities, allowing countries to respond much more quickly to disease outbreaks. The framework is the outcome of a meeting held in 2018 at the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center in Italy, convened by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT). Further information on    EMWIS website

11-  On 22-23 May 2019 in Barcelona, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) hosted the Regional Conference “Shared Views on key issues in the Mediterranean” in collaboration with the Instituto de la Juventud (InJuve), the Center for Mediterranean Integration (CMI), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Anna Lindh Foundation (ALF) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).  The conference brought together more than 100 representatives of the civil society and youth organisations to discuss how to best address environmental, educational, societal and economic challenges faced by the Euro-Mediterranean region and propose recommendations to foster more aligned cooperation amongst the region’s countries. The discussions held during the Regional Dialogue and the recommendations and project proposals drawn from the exchanges will feed the UfM Strategy for Youth and will also be presented as suggestions and project proposals to contribute to the Marseilles Summit of the Two Shores (24 June 2019) by putting forward the views of youth and civil society of all UfM countries on key priorities for the region. The exchanges over the course of the two-day forum served to establish the following action areas: Environment, Water, Energy and Sustainable development/ Youth Employment and Social economy and inclusion of youth and women/ Rethinking Education. Further information on EMWIS website

12- The Ministry of Equipment, Transport, Logistics and Water of the Kingdom of Morocco, in partnership with the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) and the Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health (GIWEH), organize the "International Summit on Water Security: for a participative and innovative basin management" in Marrakech, from the 30th of September to the 3rd of October 2019. This summit aims to: maintain political momentum and enhance the commitment of decision-makers to water security,   reaffirm the need for dialogue between all levels of stakeholders, in order to implement the identified solutions to the challenges of water security, strengthen Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in order to ensure rural development, ensure the practical implementation of technical and scientific advances in water management policies and strategies and pay particular attention to the regions, most vulnerable to water insecurity, particularly Africa. As part of its General Assembly INBO is launching a call to submit proposals for an incubation project. In preparation for the 25th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), INBO especially encourages proposals for an incubation project, integrating  an adaptation approach based on ecosystems and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). Further information on EMWIS website

13- The FAO Online training team for the global water accounting partnership has organised a 4-month online training on "basics of water accounting", starting on 12 May 2019. The webinar sessions have been organised in English and in French (some sessions done in Arabic) and have been recorded. All recording and support materials are available from https://dgroups.org/fao/wateraccounting

14- The kick-off meeting of the new PRIMA project Sustain-COAST "Sustainable coastal groundwater management and pollution reduction through innovative governance in a changing climate" took place on June 11th-13th 2019 in Chania-Crete, Greece. The overall objective of Sustain-COAST is to design and test innovative governance approaches to MED coastal water resources to improve their management and mitigate their pollution by creating new long-lasting spaces for social learning among multiple interdependent stakeholders, people, NGOs, and scientific researchers at four living labs located along the shores of the MED Sea (Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Italy). Click here for further information

15- A technical meeting to train the end-users & the rest of partners on using VISCA DSS tool took place on 4th and 5th July 2019 at LINKS premises in Turin, Italy. VISCA tool is providing a climate service with several functionalities which integrate climate and agricultural models with end-users specifications and in-situ real-time monitoring in order to give viticulturists excellent predictive short-term, mid-term and longer-term data to optimize their daily management and anticipate climate change impacts in vineyards. The tool is tested and validated in real-life environment in the 3 demonstration sites of the project: Spain (Codorniu), Italy (Mastroberardino) and Portugal (Symington). It gives the users the access to short, medium-term and seasonal weather forecasting including warnings on predicted extreme events, forecasts on phenological events (e.g.  fruit set, veraison), irrigation needs and optimum harvesting dates according to the techniques applied (Crop Forcing or Shoot Trimming). Moreover, the project aims to replicate the proposed services in different vineyards and on other crops (mainly olives, rice and cereals). A workshop opened to other sectors and vineyards will be organized at the end of November/early December 2019 to investigate VISCA application in other interested sites. the  Learn more about the project on VISCA website

16- The systemic use of urban landscapes for food production is a major step towards more sustainable, liveable and healthier cities. EdiCitNet ( H2020 project started on September 2018)  will leverage the substantial benefits that Edible City 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 a) to systematically explore the wealth and diversity of existing Edible City Solutions, and b) to adapt, plan and implement successfully proven Edible City Solutions in their specific urban context. To make this happen, EdiCitNet will close knowledge gaps in the effective implementation of Edible City Solutions and their transformation into sustainable, innovative business models.  The project annual meeting will be held in Girona from Tuesday 22nd October to Friday 25th October. Back to back to the annual meeting, from 19 to 22 October, a training of trainers for Follower Cities will be organized. Further information here.

17- Jointly organized with the Catalan Water Partnership and ICRA (Catalan Water Research institute), the 3rd General Meeting of HYDROUSA project was held on 10-11 July 2019 in Barcelona. HYDROUSA aims to provide innovative water-based and water-inspired solutions for Mediterranean islands through closing water loops and boosting the agricultural and energy profiles. The meeting will gather the project consortium, composed of 27 partners, to discuss the progress of the project and the forthcoming activities. After one year of implementation, the preparation of 6 circular economy demonstration services in 3 Med Greek islands is progressing well. All should be operational within one year for detailed monitoring, impact assessment and replication in other sites during year 3 and 4. To this end a stakeholders’ session was organised with presentations of the expectations from 2 replication sites (Canaries and Balearic islands), current status of water management by Catalan Water Agency. During this session, the possible application of HYDROUSA to the labeling process of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) was also discusses with the UfM secretariat. UT SEMIDE is the leader of the exploitation activities of the project. You may watch the recently released animated video and find further information on HYDROUSA website.

18- Med Greenhouses is capitalizing on the results of LIFE+ "Adapt2change" project as well as other local innovations by promoting, disseminating & transferring innovative Greenhouses solutions in the MED area, minimizing water & energy demand. The project is stimulating  environmental awareness on issues related to energy & water efficiency & sustainable production, contributing to Green Growth & promoting sustainable development. Partners from 6 countries (Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Italy, France and Albenia) are organizing webinars and workshops in their respective countries. Learn more about the project and the training sessions here It is an opportunity to learn about the use of Innovative Geothermal Greenhouses.

19- Portugal’s environment minister said on 18 June that the country has secured 80 percent of the water it needs to get through summer without any major shortages. Minister Matos Fernandes conceded that there may be some small clusters with high population increases in summer where water shortages may occur, but the long-term situation is to stable. The most critical reservoir at present is Monte da Rocha, in the municipality of Ourique, which for the past four months has been only at 11 percent of its capacity. Further information on  EMWIS website

20- The answer to a fast approaching food security crisis might be in a greenhouse in Madaba province (40-minute drive from Amman) where hundreds of tomato plants are lifted half a meter from the ground in a 10 meter (32-foot) high, multi-span structure that takes up an area of 7,200 square meters (77,500 square feet). “Hydroponics is a high-tech farming technique, where soil is replaced by tuff, peat moss or, as in this case, by coconut fiber supports,”  Said Doaa al-Amayreh, an agriculture engineer with the Jordan Hydroponic Agriculture and Employment Development Project. The three-year project (2018-2020) is supported by the Foreign Ministry of the Netherlands with 12 million euros . The project aims at increasing water efficiency and profitability for farmers. It is being implemented by the Jordanian firm, Eco Consult, which is in charge of technical support and training. Further information on EMWIS website

21-  The Egyptian governorate of Aswan has announced the launching of a major operation to renovate the sanitation and drinking water networks in the Upper Egyptian governorate at a cost of EGP 1.2 billion (around 64 M€). Aswan's Governor Ahmed Ibrahim recently explained that the integrated project, which has been mandated to the governorate by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, will involve the Engineering Authority and various ministries. Further information on EMWIS website

22- The water utility serving Bulgaria's northwestern region of Vratsa has signed a deal with the environment ministry for the construction of water and sanitation infrastructure - a project worth over 50 million levs ($28.8 million/25.6 million euro), the ministry said.  The project benefits from 36.3 million levs in EU financing under operational programme Environment 2014-2020 (Cohesion and Regional Development Funds), the environment ministry said in a press release. The project envisages the rehabilitation, reconstruction and/or additional construction works on a total of 80 km of water supply network in the cities of Vratsa, Mezdra, Byala Slatina and Kozloduy.  After the successful completion of construction works, a further 78,000 residents will have access to improved water supply, while water losses are expected to decrease by 20%. The project should be completed within 49 months. Further information on  EMWIS website

23- Malta International Airport published its fourth sustainability report in June to coincide with World Environment Day. While the report does not focus exclusively on the company's efforts to be environmentally responsible, Malta Airport is pleased to announce that, last year it was successful in reaching two important environmental goals.The report, which adheres to the Global Reporting Initiative standards, reveals that in 2018, the company lowered its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 12% to reach 0.92kg of CO2 per passenger. In parallel with this, a decrease of 11.6% in total water consumption was also registered. These drops largely resulted from several eco-friendly measures including the installation of more efficient sanitation systems and the introduction of energy-saving lighting and air conditioning units. In addition to this, over the past three years, the company has invested more than one million euro in photo-voltaic panels and is currently in the process of determining the size of the next photo-voltaic system to be installed on the airport campus. Further information on EMWIS website

24- Qab Elias, Lebanon, 26 June 2019 – Water and crop scientists and sociologists from ICARDA and the Lebanese Agricultural Research Institute (LARI) delivered a training workshop to 35 farmers and 16 Syrian researchers from different Syrian provinces on robust modern water techniques, highlighting the important role that women play in the agricultural sector. The third in a series of training sessions, the workshop is part of the project ‘Social Stabilization Through Comprehensive Agricultural Support for Refugee Host Communities,’ funded by the Japanese government. Further information on EMWIS website

25-Cooperation in the water sector are strengthening between Morocco and the US government. At the end of June 2019, a Moroccan delegation visited the United States to learn about the American experience in water management. The exchanges made it possible to forge partnerships for the development of the hydraulic sector in Morocco. The Moroccan delegation consisted of the Director General of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), central directors and senior officials from the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, Logistics and Water. The visit included high level meetings between the Moroccan Minister and the US Secretary of Commerce, and with the US Assistant Secretary of State for Water and Science. Later, the Moroccan team held further meetings with officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the United States Agency for International Development. Water management was the main concerned, technical visits included large water transfers, hydro-power dams as well as desalination and waster water reuse in South California. Further information on EMWIS website

26- With water stress and cycles of semi-aridity and drought, Tunisia has no choice but to expand its water infrastructure. According to official data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the country has today 74 dams, 230 reservoirs, 894 hill lakes, 5400 wells and 13800 surface wells. New hydraulic dams are being built to guarantee the supply of drinking water to all the regions. The agricultural sector consumes nearly 80% of the water resources; while 14% of these resources are used as drinking water, 5% for the needs of industry and 1% for the tourism sector. In a statement issued on July 3, 2019 , Abdallah Rabhi, Secretary of State to the Minister of Agriculture in charge of water resources and fisheries said that "water reserves in dams have reached record levels. "As of July 2, 2019, it is estimated that 70% of all Tunisian dams are filled with 1697 million m3 compared with only 884 million m3 in the same period of 2018", he said. On the other hand, the Secretary of State added that seven new dams will soon be built.  Further information on EMWIS website

27- The digitalisation of the agricultural sector is lagging behind in Tunisia, despite the advantages that these technologies can provide and despite the incentives put in place by the State, for the benefit of investors in this sector," said Wednesday 5 June, Minister of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries, Samir Taieb. During a workshop on "Digital technologies in agriculture: how to accelerate the digital transformation of Tunisian agriculture", organised in Tunis, by his department, in partnership with the World Bank, the Minister said that "very few companies currently provide technological solutions for the agricultural sector, compared to those developed for the benefit of other sectors". In response to the enormous difficulties faced by farmers (debt, skills), the minister said "it is precisely because of these difficulties that public sector intervention remains necessary. It is the State that must take charge of the issue to mark the ground for this transition from traditional to modern agriculture. "This is why the State is in the process of developing the appropriate strategy in this area, in consultation with all stakeholders, our partners and donors. The State will also have to guarantee the necessary infrastructure, adjust the regulatory framework to the requirements of digitalisation and put in place the necessary incentives for young promoters and start-ups interested in investing in agriculture". "This strategy will also promote public-private partnership in agricultural investment and the connection between the fields of research and academic training and the profession, and support small farmers to help them better integrate new technologies," he said. Further information on  EMWIS website

28-  The city of Paris is trying to convert farms close to its drinking water catchments to organic agriculture to reduce pollution risks. Half of the tap water of Parisians comes from underground sources around the capital, in agricultural areas. Paris wants to create its own aid system. Further information on EMWIS website

29-  At least 38 French metropolitan departments are currently concerned by water restriction measures, according to the departmental website Propluvia. There are three levels of restriction: the level 1 alert (yellow), the enhanced alert (orange) and finally the crisis level (red) which prohibits non-priority withdrawals, including for agricultural purposes. 13 provinces (French departments) are affected by the maximum level on some parts of their territory. In the provinces in crisis, from the 7th of July, the water abstractions are totally or partially prohibited in several rivers for farmers, individuals, industry and local authorities. According to the  Geological and Mining Research office (BRGM), many water tables in France have an "unsatisfactory" levels  lower than those of last year. This summer, which is expected to be warmer than normal, according to Météo France forecasts, the public establishment expects problems in various regions (southern Alsace, Bourgogne, amont du Rhône) where aquifer levels are close to the minima. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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30- 8 PhD positions available within the Marie Sklodowska-Curie ITN PROTECT (http://www.usc.es/biogroup/protect). The selection will take place during the summer through the USC portal <http://www.usc.es> (application will be opened on July the 1st) and the contract will start by October the 1st.
All the information can be found here: https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/415157
Do not hesitate to contact  Prof. Almudena Hospido (almudena.hospido@usc.es<mailto:almudena.hospido@usc.es>) or Dr. Miguel Mauricio (miguel.mauricio@usc.es<mailto:miguel.mauricio@usc.es>) for further details and clarifications. Further information on EMWIS website
 

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PUBLICATIONS
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31- A new user-friendly website of the Cost Action Circular Cities (CA17133), has been released. It provides instant access to the activities supported by the action: training schools, conferences, short term missions, grants as well as activities of the different working groups on built environment, urban water, resources recovery, urban farming and transforming tools. You can follow and participate in activities using social media: Facebook page, twitter, Linkedin. Further information on Circular-City.eu

32- Assessing the impacts of changing water availability on agricultural production in selected Arab countries: national reports to assess the agricultural production of a certain number of crops in specific areas under the influence of climate change, which can be obtained from the outputs of the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Socio-Economic Vulnerability in the Arab Region (RICCAR), implemented by ESCWA funded by SIDA. These national reports include proposals and recommendations to adapt to water availability variations as a result of climate change. Further information on EMWIS website

33- New book on "Trace Elements in Anaerobic Biotechnologies" is available as eBook from IWA website. This is a final product from the completed COST Action "Anaerobic metals". 

34- Supporting the Sustainable Development Goals across the world: The 2019 Joint Synthesis Report of the European Union and its Member States.  Further information on EMWIS website

35- New Water Europe Publication Launched: Atlas of European Water Oriented Living Labs.Water Europe is pleased to launch the first edition of the “Atlas of the European Water-Oriented Living Labs” which contains a first-ever mapping and categorisation of European WoLLs (Water-oriented Living Labs). Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS AND PROPOSALS
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36- Calls for proposals for action grants to finance "preparatory projects" under the LIFE sub-programmes for environment. The call was published on 24 May 2019 and the deadline for the submission of proposals 24 September 2019 (16.00 Brussels local time). Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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37- International seminar: water and climate change in Maghreb; As part of the project "Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Management of Maghreb Water Resources - CREM", the Sahara and Sahel Observatory and the GIZ are organizing an international seminar  in Tunis on 29 and 30 October 2019. In this context, a call for papers is launched for experts and stakeholders from the countries of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), the Mediterranean and sub-Saharan Africa. Deadline: 15 August 2019. Further information on EMWIS website

38- Youth climate summit, 21 september 2019: Young people between the ages of 18 and 29 are invited to attend the Youth Climate Summit on September 21 in New York, and the UN seeks strong participation from young leaders in the Global South. To attend the summit, interested youth must apply by July 19. Attendees will be selected based on their demonstrated commitment to addressing the climate crisis and their displayed leadership in advancing solutions. Further information on  EMWIS website

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TRAINING
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[2019/10/17 - 2019/10/17 ] IOWater Days in 2019: Impacts of Sanitation Systems on the Receiving Environment. In order to highlight the strong link between sanitation policy and the objectives of good water status, IOWater offers you an overview of the impacts of sanitation systems on the environment, in a routine context and  in accident situation. Further information on EMWIS website

[2019/09/30 - 2019/10/04] ReNature summer school, Malta. The ReNature Interdisciplinary Summer School aims to provide participants with an understanding of the features and potential of nature-based solutions in the context of a holistic approach towards landscape sustainability. All participants will have the chance to interact and share experiences and activities with international experts. The summer school will include "problem-based" learning sessions, aimed at stimulating professional development and further networking between participantsalso in the aftermaths.  Further information on EMWIS website

[2019/09/02 - 2019/09/06] International Summer School : Concepts and tools to engage in knowledge co-production and public participation. The fifth edition of the International Summer School on Concepts and Tools to Engage in Knowledge Co-production and Public Participation. This 5-day interactive training course is designed and organized by a small international team of experts – researchers and practitioners of participatory approaches. The training is based on “learning by doing” principle that makes it possible for the participants to test what they learn on-the-spot and get immediate feedback. The international participants co-construct their own training, contributing with unique content (their own case studies) and their personal styles and personalities. The training is meant for people (students, researchers, consultants, public sector employees) interested in developing or improving knowledge and skills in participatory methods to engage stakeholders in knowledge co-production through public participation. Registration deadline: 10th of August.   Further information on EMWIS website

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 Events

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[2019/12/12 - 2019/12/12]  EU Water Innovation Conference 2019

Further information on EMWIS website

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PROJECTS (Projects database) 
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WATER PROJECTS DATABASE (MEDA-NIPs, MEDA-Water, LIFE, SWIM, SMAP, INCO-MED, FP4-FP7, H2020, UfM, ENPI South, ENPI CBC Med, INTERREG, etc.)

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CONTACT US
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- In agreement with the new EU General Data Protection Regulation, if you would like to have your name and e-mail-address deleted from our data base and information systems, please send a request to info@semide.org.

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