EMWIS Flash N°121

EMWIS Flash - March/April 2015 Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector For further information: www.emwis.net & check our page at facebook Flash produced by the EMWIS Technical Unit- OIEAU, CEDEX, CHJ Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform Mediterranean Water Information Mechanism / Geo-Catalogue / UfM-Water / AquaForMED / PAWA / NWRM / MED-3R/ R-KNOW / demEAUmed / WEAM4i / SAID / OPIRIS

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In this issue N°121 (www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash121)
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HEADLINE
1- The first Ministerial Conference of the Dialogue “Water 5+5”: Towards a Water Strategy in the Western Mediterranean
IN BRIEF
2- Can implementation of the Water Nexus support economic growth in the Mediterranean region? Ankara (Turkey), 12-13 February 2015
3- Harnessing EU water research and innovation, Brussels (Belgium), 26 February 2015
4- Horizon 2020 water innovation projects kick-off meeting, Brussels (Belgium), 04 March 2015

5- R-KNOW project: Regional events in Sharem El Sheik (Egypt), 9-13 May 2015.
6- DemEAUmed project: Closing water cycle in touristic establishments: 2nd General Meeting in Nice (France)
7- WEAM4i project: Technical Coordination Meeting for Pilot Sites, Advisory Board meeting in Madrid, February 2015
8- SAID project: 3rd Coordination and Technical meeting, 4th-5th February 2015, Malaga (Spain)
9- OpIRIS project technical & dissemination activities, Jumilla/Murcia, Spain, 05 March 2015
10- PAWA project: "Improving water accounting at the basin scale", Cartagena (Spain), 23-24 February 2015
11- The AquaForMed network at the 7th World Water Forum,12-17 April 2015, in Daegu & Gyeongbuk (South Korea)
12- MED-3R project: new cities into Euro-Mediterranean strategic platform for waste management
13- MED-3R project: OIEau trainings in Lebanon
14- LANDCARE MED project trains the next generation of environmentalists on waste management
15- Recycling and Treatment of Organic Waste in the Agro-Tourism Sphere
16- Natiomem project: Renewable energy brings water to all

17- Europe's local and regional governments: don't ditch EU waste package

18- EU and UNICEF mark completion of first part of Gaza desalination plant

19- Tunisia: Farmers in southern Tunisia want sustainable hydraulic solutions
20- Morocco: Signature of AGIRE program co-financing agreement with Switzerland and Germany
21- Algeria: EU project helps developing a national strategy to fight against floods
22- Jordan and Israel Agree to Share Water, But Fall Short of Saving Dead Sea
23- Jordan: "Fighting water scarcity: the Water-DROP project encourages rainwater harvesting"
24- Lebanon and France: Nazarian evokes water projects with French Senator Cadic
25- Lebanon: Enhancing Irrigation Management
26- Cyprus: A New Water Culture
27- Davos 2015: Defining the future of agriculture
28- World Economic Forum’s Global Risks 2015 report: Water crises are a top global risk
29- World Bank: Investments in water in poor nations give big benefits
30- NASA Releases First Global Rainfall and Snowfall Map from New Mission
31- A high-resolution global-scale groundwater model
32- Climate-smart agriculture to protect wetlands
33- The dangers of water shortages in the energy sector
34- The 1st Experts’ Meeting to Develop an Innovation Scoreboard for the MENA Region

NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
PUBLICATIONS  
CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
CALL FOR PAPERS
TRAINING
EVENTS
PROJECTS
BRIEF EMWIS SITE MAP
CONTACT US / COMMENTS

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HEADLINE
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1- The first Ministerial Conference of the Dialogue “Water 5+5” will be held in Algiers (Algeria) on Tuesday, March 31st 2015. Previously to the Conference, an Expert Meeting will be held on Monday 30th of March 2015. Algeria and Spain, promoters of the Initiative announced that the text of the Water Strategy to be endorsed by the Ministers during this meeting is almost ready. This strategy document has incorporated the oral comments made during the three seminars held in Valencia and Oran and the written proposals received since then by the Western Mediterranean countries, and enriched through inputs from stakeholder groups. The Strategy for Water in the Western Mediterranean (WSWM) is a guiding document providing orientations and objectives for water resources management and protection. The long-term WSWM’s objectives are to preserve water resources in terms of quality and quantity as well as to balance water uses to achieve regional sustainable economic growth, social prosperity, access to water for all, environmental protection and rehabilitation. The WSWM is structured around 13 priority issues, grouped in three thematic blocks: starting on the cross-cutting subjects and widely accepted basic orientations on water management, followed by  issues of regional interest adapted to the specific context of the Western Mediterranean, and the last one focuses on more technical objectives. In order to address specific water challenges and help implementing solutions to problems of regional concern with a focus on sustainability, an Action Plan will be developed, implemented and monitored. The Action Plan will be annexed to the Strategy and will compile the proposals from the 5+5 Members. It will detail projects and initiatives with specific objectives, geographical scope, financing plans, foreseen indicators and schedule, and it will allow to visualise the most pragmatic part of the Strategy. This strategy is expected to be adopted at this First 5+5 Ministerial Water Conference in Algiers, on the 31st March 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

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IN BRIEF (Full news)
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2- Water use is indispensably related to food production, energy generation and the functioning of ecosystems. Such complex interactions define the “Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus”, which is more and more central to water policy analysis and design. Water resources are particularly limited and vulnerable to pollution and weather extremes in the Mediterranean countries. Yet, environmental protection is still considered partly in conflict with economic growth. The integrated perspective provided by the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystem Nexus may help meeting the needs of ecosystem protection and water use, by stimulating appropriate investments in the Mediterranean region, on the basis of consistent and effective water policy and governance. In this context, The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the Turkish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock and the Turkish Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs organized last February 12-13, 2015 a workshop in Ankara (Turkey) under the title: "Can implementation of the Water Nexus support economic growth in the Mediterranean region?". The objectives were to: bring in experience on competition, synergies and priorities among sectoral water usages and stakeholders in the Mediterranean region and address trade-off solutions on how we are going to allocate water in the future; share best practices bridging the gaps between governments, communities and business concerning collaboration among water users that result into water cost reduction; and discuss how policies in the Mediterranean region can be improved by a Water Nexus perspective in order to create opportunities for green economic growth. The workshop involved 66 participants from different disciplines and viewpoints: water economists, ecologists and agronomists, governmental and regional policy makers, business and water users from the across Mediterranean countries. The Workshop produced material for a joint background paper with a synthesis of the issues corresponding to the four Workshop questions and recommendations for the promotion of Water Nexus thinking for economic growth in the Mediterranean region. All participants had the opportunity to contribute to the paper. Among others, EMWIS participated at this workshop in which WEAM4i project (water and energy efficiency in irrigation) was presented. Further information on EMWIS website

3- The kick-off and networking meeting: "Harnessing EU Water Research and Innovation" was organised by the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) of the European Commission last February 26th 2015 in Brussels, with the aim to Share knowledge and facilitate networking on projects regarding water research and innovation results for industry, agriculture, policy makers and citizens; Exploit possible synergies for clustering projects activities; and Provide policy input from relevant EC services. The workshop gathered together: a) Coordinators from Horizon 2020 Water4a funded projects; b) Officials from the EC; c) Coordinators from relevant on-going FP7 projects from Water Innovation & Demonstration and ICT for Water; and d) Coordinators of past relevant FP7 projects. Further information on EMWIS website

4- Five new water eco-innovation projects – the first ones funded under the EU's Horizon 2020 programme – kicked off with a meeting in Brussels last March 4th, 2015. The projects were selected among 26 proposals submitted for the first Horizon 2020 call for proposals on water innovation (WATER-4a-2014). Collectively, they receive an EU contribution of about EUR 5.46 million for coordinating and supporting actions between programs and countries to harness EU water innovation. Further information on EMWIS website.

5- R-KNOW “Regional Knowledge Network on Systemic Approaches to Water Resources Management “ project aspires to create a Regional Knowledge Network on Water that will assist in strengthening the application of systematic approaches to water management and water governance. RKNOW has identified four thematic areas which are of high need to the region: Water Governance, Water and Climate Change, Water Energy and Food Nexus and Innovative & Sustainable Water Technologies. R-Know is organising a regional workshop next 12-14 May 2015 : To drive further stakeholder engagement, capacities building and knowledge sharing in water management and conservation of nature. The expected out comes are the exchange of knowledge concerning the water management and nature conservation among the participants and come up with an outlines for the development of RKNOW and IUCN programs’ strategies for West Asia region. This workshop is developed in synergy with other initiatives: the MAVA forum, the SEARCH projects and a regional training on "water integrity" to be run by SIWI, GWP and AWARNET. The events will gather more than 50 water and nature participants from MENA and DGCC countries in addition to regional and international experts.  The expected Outputs will include: 1) Agreement on outlines of regional water /climate change and conservation of nature strategies and action plan; 2) Exchange knowledge and information about water governance, climate change and nature conservation and 3) Provide knowledge to the participants on in the four thematic areas, water integrity and water governance on ground water. Further information on R-KNOW website.

6- The 2nd general meeting of the European project demEAUmed took place on 26th-27th January, 2015 at Hotel Boscolo Plaza in Nice (France), facilitated by EMWIS TU. The project consortium gathered for the two days to discuss the progress of the project and plan for the upcoming activities to be carried out for the next six months. Mona Arnold from VTT, Technical Research Center in Finland, member of WssTP and member of demEAUmed advisory board, also joined the meeting. She gave her recommendations and feedback on demEAUmed project to the consortium during the meeting. The project water treatment processes were tested in laboratory with waste waters similar to the one of the pilot hotel. The installation in the Samba hotel (near Barcelona) will take place in the 2nd part of 2015 for real life validation in 2016. Discussions also took place on how to bring the project innovations, i.e. water treatment technologies as well as the monitoring & control system to be implemented during the project, closer to the market.  demEAUmed is a FP7 water & innovation project bringing together partners from 7 countries (Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Italy, France and Belgium) for demonstrating and promoting innovative technologies, for an optimal and safe closed water cycle in Euro-Mediterranean tourist facilities, leading to their eventual market uptake. Further information on demEAUmed website.

7- A meeting of WEAM4i project took place in the Portuguese demonstrating sites (ABORO and ABROXO) between the 2-3rd February, 2015. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the development of strategic model for the Portuguese pilot areas. The meeting was attended by representatives from FENAREG, AQUAGRI, ABORO and ABROXO as well as technicians from ADASA and UPC. The strategic model discussed will make it possible to estimate the demand for water needed for irrigation and, based on this, meet the power consumption demands. It will enable an integrated management of the two factors – water and energy. The interactive smart grid approach is a logical management based on the demand allowing the optimization of the available supply, consuming energy when it is cheapest and optimizing the volume of water needed for irrigation. The participants also visited the pilot sites where calibration data were collected. On the other hand, on February 5th, 2015, a meeting of the WEAM4i Water Policies Advisory board (WPAB) was organized in Madrid to discuss project progression, the resource mobilization strategy and the opportunities & risks of the energy market. Further information on EMWIS website

8- SAID project organized its coordination and technical meeting in at the University of Malaga in Malaga (Spain), on February 4th to 5th, 2015. It was the occasion to discuss the progress of the project and discuss the upcoming activities to be carried out this year. SAID project focuses on the deployment and evaluation of a complex demonstrator, composed by several heterogeneous and innovative Decision Support Systems in the same river basin. This demonstrator, in the south of Spain, represents many similar basins in Europe, and will be based on cutting-edge DSS technologies in four areas: flood control (including the optimization of dam management), quality of water, energy production and energy consumption. The feedback from the final users (water management authorities, companies operating water infrastructures) will drive the improvement of the DSSs and the development and validation of a software platform that facilitate the integration of existing and future DSSs. SAID is also demonstrating innovative low energy communication devices for monitoring stations. Further information on SAID website.

9- A new dissemination activity for OpIRIS project was organizedby CEBAS-CISC, Frutas Vargas and PROGEAGRO in Jumilla/Murcia on March 5th, 2015. It consisted of the following: 1- a Seminar to respond to questions such as: -Why to schedule irrigation? -How to verify whether you are matching the crop water requirements or not? -How to improve water and fertilizers productivity -OPIRIS options and services, and an 2- Open day: a technical visit to Frutas Vargas orchard. About 20 fruit-trees producers participated in this activity. They appreciated OPIRIS ideas and experiences and they clearly expressed their willingness to keep in touch and follow OPIRIS recommendations. A similar activity was held in Aguilas/Spain on Thursday, the 12th of March in collaboration with CEBAS-CSIC and RITEC. The overall objective of OpIRIS project is to build a knowledge-based system for online precise irrigation scheduling (OpIRIS) using advanced results from previous FP projects on water and fertilizers productivity in fruit trees orchards and hydroponic productions in greenhouses. Further information on EMWIS website.

10- Policies for the sustainable management of water resources are a priority in the European and national agendas. Current goals at European level are oriented to improving knowledge about the reference situation in terms of water availability and demand. Therefore, it is especially relevant to obtain, evaluate and standardize detailed information at river basin, to analyze and demonstrate the potential of economic, technological and management measures to mitigate situations of water scarcity and drought. One of the main tools for this purpose is the System of Environmental and Economic Accounting for Water (SEEAW) developed by the Statistic Division of the United Nations. The European Commission is currently evaluating the use of this framework at the river basin scale by means of various pilot projects in Europe. The goal is to improve the information on the physical water balances, water uses and supplies by using local data and to study their usefulness for river basin planning. The International Scientific Meeting on Water Accounting at the basin scale should become a forum for discussion on the use of these methodologies and their usefulness to support national and European policy agendas, and should enhance international collaboration in research on integrated water resources management. In this context, PAWA project participated at the International Meeting: "Improving water accounting at the basin scale", Cartagena (Spain), 23-24 February 2015. The project "PAWA - Pilot Arno Water Accounts" will hold its final conference in Florence (IT) on 30 March 2015. The Coordinating entity is the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), and the main partners are: the Arno River Basin Agency (ARBA), Italy and the Euro-Mediterranean Information System on know-how in the Water sector (EMWIS/SEMIDE), France. Further information on EMWIS website.

11- The AquaForMed network will take part into the 7th World Water Forum, 12-17 April 2015, in Daegu & Gyeongbuk (South Korea). Its members and partners will contribute to: Session: 4.5.2 - Financing water professional training to develop competencies: A fruitful economic strategy for water utilities, to be organized as a follow-up of the 6th WWF, by evidencing the achievement of many commitments of the “Condition of Success 3.3’ on vocational training; Session: 4.5.3 - Creation and strengthening of Water Training Centers around the world for sustainable investments in infrastructures, with the aim to share experience of WTC from many different countries in order to identify the best internal and external conditions to training centers sustainability. Members of the International Network of Water Training Centers will present their success and difficulties in order to provide the most adapted water training supply in their respective countries. The INWTC mobilizes 20 water training centers in the whole world which support the “Rabat Declaration” on the importance of professional training in water issues; and Session: 4.5.4 - “Facing the changes in due time: specific training of staffs and stakeholders of basin organizations is a prerequisite!”, to demonstrate, by field case studies, the importance of information, education and training, both formal and informal, for the protection, restoration and management of water resources and aquatic ecosystems. Further information on AquaForMed website.

12- The Euro-Mediterranean Strategic Platform for urban waste management - MED-3R has launched a call for the integration of new municipalities, cities, towns and regions in the Platform. Under the coordination of Nice Cote d’Azur Metropole, eleven applications were selected. Cities applications led to a single selection carried out by an internal evaluation committee at Nice Cote d’Azur Metropole and approved by the MED-3R partnership. 17 applications from 13 different Mediterranean countries were submitted. The selected cities are : - The SYVADEC – Corte, Corsica, France; - The Federation of Municipalities of the Higher Chouf – Moukhtara, Lebanon; - The Municipality of Mahdia, Tunisia; - The Municipality of La Marsa, Tunisia; - The Municipality of Krujë, Albania; - The Regional Council of Durres, Albania; - The Regional Council of Tramuntana, Malta; - The Municipality of Kusadasi and the University of Dokuz Eylul – Izmir, Turkey; - The Municipality of Gradiska, Bosnia and Herzegovina; - The Municipality of Berat, Albania; - The Municipality of Lushnjë, Albania. Further information on EMWIS website

13- In the framework of the Med-3R project, the International Office for Water (OIEau, France) conducted four training sessions for the Lebanese partners at the Municipal Cultural Center of Byblos (Lebanon), between 2014 and 2015. The attendance mainly concerned Representatives of the Municipalities of Byblos and Blat, of the Ministry of Environment in Lebanon, companies and NGOs in charge of waste collection in both municipalities. The first two courses entitled "Managing and optimizing the waste collection" and "Improving the waste collection: role of communication and its strategy" were held between 22 and 25 April, 2014. They were subsequently complemented by two more courses held between 12 and 15 January, 2015, on the development of waste collection regulations and the profession of sorting ambassador. Their aim was to support local actors in achieving their management plan, the implementation of a waste collection regulation and the development of an appropriate communication system. Further information on EMWIS website

14- Schools go green in Sardinia, Lebanon and Tunisia: a series of workshops help young students to become more conscious about their role in sustainable waste management. The youth of today will be the main consumers of tomorrow. It is therefore crucial to guide the new generation towards "conscious consuming", a concept based around increased awareness of the impact of purchasing decisions on the environment. With this in mind, the LANDCARE MED project is carrying out a series of workshops dedicated to elementary and secondary schools in Sardinia, Lebanon (workshops to start soon) and Tunisia. Through the courses, the LANDACARE MED project hope that students will incorporate the 5 R into their daily life: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Rethink waste and Recover energy from waste. "With these workshops, we want to help young people to understand that individual actions do make a large difference. The youth of today will be the next generation of environmental advocates so we need to make sure that kids get into sustainable activities as early as possible," highlights Maria Laura Foddis, coordinator of the LANDCARE MED project. The project aims to use innovative technologies in order to implement a small-scale rural waste management approach in four villages located in Italy, Lebanon and Tunisia. The project also focuses on training sessions dedicated to young people, citizens and farmers in order to enhance their awareness of the importance of waste sorting and recycling. Further information on EMWIS website

15- The International Conference on Recycling and Treatment of Organic Waste in the Agro-Tourism Sphere took place at Tel Hai Academic College on 12 June 2014, with 370 participants, the Minister of Environmental Protection and Ministry staff, representatives from regional authorities and environmental NGOs, consultants and experts in the field, and recycling and processing companies. Among the exhibitors were Dolev, Koala and Argolan – companies that provide different solutions for waste separation and containers in a variety of colors, shapes and designs for use with organic waste. Systems for treatment of organic materials are demonstrated: ranging from household to commercial to community applications, from a manual composter using simple mixing to electric and automated machines. There were also exhibitors of a number of initiatives for recycling and reuse of different materials.  The aim of SCOW, funded by the ENPI CBC-MED Programme, is to develop low cost, technically simple and high quality biowaste collection and recycling models in territories with touristic areas and agricultural activity. It wants to build up a sustainable, innovative and local treatment of the biowaste in decentralized small-scale composting plants, developed essentially in agricultural holdings situated near the biowaste production areas in the partners’ territories. Further information on EMWIS website

16- More than a billion people in developing countries have no access to safe drinking water. Population growth, pollution and over-exploitation have all contributed to water scarcity. An EU-funded project is working on developing a solution: a simple, low-cost, user-friendly water purification system which converts contaminated water into quality drinking water using renewable energy without any chemicals. NATIOMEM was co-funded by the 7th Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission. The project proposes to alleviate people’s suffering from water scarcity by developing novel technology for treating contaminated surface and waste water, so that it will be potable. Further information on EMWIS website

17- The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) asked the European Commission to reconsider its withdrawal of proposed changes to EU waste legislation. The Committee - the EU's assembly of local and regional authorities – argues that it would be far more sensible to build on the original proposals than "start again from scratch". It calls on the Commission to use its proposals on the original package - outlined in an opinion adopted yesterday - as the basis for creating an ambitious piece of EU waste legislation that will help deliver a sustainable "circular economy" in Europe. The EU waste package was proposed by the preceding European Commission last year and intended to amend existing legislation by increasing recycling levels and tightening rules on landfill. The EU's circular economy original package features a range of measures including ensuring that 70% of municipal waste is recycled by 2030; a binding target of recycling 80% of packaging waste by 2030; and a ban of recyclable waste in landfill by 2025. Further information on EMWIS website

18- The EU and UNICEF marked the completion of the first component of a €10 million desalination plant which will provide over 75,000 Palestinians with drinking water in Gaza. The construction phase of the project was launched with the laying of the first stone last March. The completion of an 18-km pipeline was recently achieved. It will transfer 6,000 cubic meters of desalinated seawater from the plant to at least 35,000 Palestinians living in Khan Yunis, and 40,000 in Rafah, southern Gaza. "Nearly 95% of water in Gaza is considered unfit for human consumption," said EU Representative John Gatt-Rutter. “Enormous efforts are needed to ensure that Gazans can access fresh water.” The construction of the desalination plant and the procurement of water-treatment equipment will be completed in the coming months. The plant is expected to start operating by the end of the year. Further information on EMWIS website

19- Rain scarcity and challenges of agricultural development in southern Tunisia were the focus of an inter-regional workshop recently organized by the Tunisian Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (UTAP) at the headquarters of Regional Commissioner for Agricultural Development (CRDA) of Gabes. The meeting was attended by representatives of the regional unions of Agriculture and Fisheries (ABU) of Gabes Tataouine, Kebili, Tozeur and Gafsa governorates. Participants indicated that the agricultural sector in these governorates suffers from a difficult situation, as a result of the drought, which has depleted pastures and damage in the olive groves and the indiscriminate use of groundwater resources and surface water. They presented a set of urgent recommendations, in particular, the need to intervene and grant the southern governorates with forages, preparation of a program for irrigation and conservation of trees. On the other hand, participants proposed to prepare a future strategy that can help consolidate water resources in the south of the country to supply these areas by water of the northern regions and increase planting forages. Further information on EMWIS website

20- The support program for integrated water resources management (AGIRE) in Morocco has just benefited from a Swiss and German financing agreement. This co-financing of around 1.2 million EUR by the German Technical International Cooperation (GIZ) and the Swiss International Cooperation (SDC) in the presence of the Moroccan Deputy Minister for Water, Charafat Afilal. This co-financing agreement will cover targeted actions in the context of the "AGIRE" signed in 2008 between Morocco and Germany, including the reuse of wastewater three STEP Tiznit, Ouarzazate and Drarga, the support for the implementation of the contract for the Chtouka aquifer and technical support to the hydrological basin agency Souss Massa Draa. The AGIRE program had already received the first Swiss co-financing in the amount of 705,000 EUR for the period 2012-2014. Further information on EMWIS website

21- EU project helps Algerian authorities develop national strategy to fight against floods. As many as 689 sites in Algeria have been identified as vulnerable to flooding in a study on the fight against floods, carried out in the framework of the EU-funded water programme EAU III. The study aims to develop a national strategy against floods, proposing structural and non-structural measures, including better consideration of risks in planning regulations or the development of a forecasting and warning system. Experts visited 50 of the identified sites in order to establish a detailed diagnosis and specific recommendations. Following a stocktaking first phase, and before proposing an action plan and training, the team of experts presented the conclusions of the second stage of the study on ‘types of floods’ in a workshop in Algiers on 18 February. Further information on EMWIS website

22- A long-awaited binational agreement to supply fresh water to Jordan and Israel, and to transport water to the drying Dead Sea, was reached on February 26th, 2015 in Jordan. Provisions for Palestine are being dealt with separately. The $US 900 million agreement includes construction of a desalination plant in Jordan, near the Red Sea, to supply water to southern Jordan and Israel. In return, Israel will sell more water to Jordan from the Sea of Galilee in its northern region. The agreement also calls for the desalination brine byproduct to be mixed with seawater and piped 180 kilometers north to the Dead Sea, which is shrinking at a rate of 1 meter per year. Experts say that the 100 million cubic meters will not be enough to halt the Dead Sea’s retreat, which would need 800 million cubic meters per year just to stabilize. The Jordan-Israel water supply agreement, which comes as drying conditions mount in the Middle East, advances a negotiation process that started in 2005 under the auspices of the World Bank. The amount of water to be transported to the Dead Sea had been reduced to less than 1/10th of the volume originally proposed in 2005. Jordan would now build a water intake at the Port of Aqaba, and pump 200 million cubic meters of water per year north to a desalination facility. Roughly 80 million cubic meters of fresh water would be produced; 50 to 60 percent of it would be sold to Israel. The remaining seawater and brine would be piped to the Dead Sea. In exchange, Israel promised to sell an extra 50 million cubic meters of water per year to Jordan from the Sea of Galilee, and sell an extra 20 to 30 million cubic meters to the Palestinian Water Authority. Further information on EMWIS website

23- Water scarcity is recognized by many governments and international organizations among the main challenges to be addressed in order to ensure adequate standards of living for populations worldwide. In the 2014 edition of the World Water Development Water Report, the United Nations highlight that "global demand for water is expected to grow significantly for all major water use sectors" i.e. agriculture, domestic and industry. Although there is no global water scarcity as such according to the UN, an increasing number of regions are chronically short of water. Jordan is one of these regions. In the Balqa Governorate (Jordan), the Water-DROP project is working to encourage local communities to make better use of rainwater. "Jordan suffers from an increasing water crisis," says Sameeh Nuimat, IUCN’s responsible for the Water-DROP project. The Water-DROP project acts locally to address the issue of water scarcity. A total of 5 public schools and 20 households have been chosen in the Balqa Governorate to benefit from practical solutions which improve access to water. Roofs of selected houses and schools are currently being refurbished in order to be fitted with water collection systems connected to underground tanks. "During the dry session, my family will have more secure access to water for drinking, cooking and irrigating," says Eid Mahmoud Ali Zuby, who lives in the Jalald pilot village. The Water-DROP project also seeks to better water management at local level in Italy, Lebanon and Palestine. Further information on EMWIS website

24- The Lebanese Minister of Energy and Water, Arthur Nazarian, met on February 20 French Senator Olivier Cadic, with whom he discussed water projects to be carried out in Lebanon through French financing. Note that Mr. The meeting was attended by the Franco-Lebanese representative of UDI (Union of Democrats and Independents), Patricia Elias SMIDA, and the director general of Hydraulic and Electric Resources Dr. Fadi Comair. The discussion also focused on the latest water law adopted by France. Senator Cadic was willing to support the establishment in Lebanon of a center for information and training on water, which also has the support of the Union for the Mediterranean (Regional project labelised by the UfM). He also invited the Lebanese authorities to adopt a law on water. After transmitting the president of the UDI, Jean-Louis Borloo, an invitation to visit Lebanon, the Minister Nazarian thanked Senator Cadic for its support to water projects in the country. Further information on EMWIS website

25- The ClimaSouth project, the Lebanese Agriculture Research Institute (LARI) and the Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari (IAM-Bari), have organised a training workshop, technical site visit in the Bekaa Valley, and an assessment workshop, on January 19-23, 2015. The objectives were (i) to empower LARI with knowledge of the tools and practices of IAM-Bari in irrigation, and (ii) to assess existing practices in Bekaa, and search for management practices and systems (irrigation and plant protection) which could improve resilience to climate variability and change, and which can represent a major contribution to adaptation in the agriculture sector. A important theme was the development and enhancement of Early Warning Systems at both the farm-scale and district-scales. More information on adaptation in the agriculture sector in Lebanon can be found at the EU ACLIMAS project. Further information on EMWIS website

26- The Mediterranean countries have to tackle the issue of their limited freshwater resources, which mainly derives from rainfall occurrences of high variability in space and time, statistically dropping in quantity since the early 70’s. Their overall water balance is, therefore, frequently in shortage and unable to cover the diversified water needs of several economy sectors and the ecosystems. Cyprus is specifically recognised as one of the two most arid European countries, following Malta. Despite the 57 large dams constructed all over the island to capture every available water raindrop, this system does not seem capable of accurately covering the needs of the Cypriot population. Although up to 70% of the population lives in urban areas, 28% of the water resources in Cyprus is used for the households’ needs, while 64% is being used in agriculture. Demand for water has led to over-exploitation of the aquifers, which in turn resulted to groundwater salinisation. The authorities have to deal with significant water shortage threatening agriculture and ecosystem resilience: in specific, farmers pump groundwater from around 50,000 illegal wells all around the island, in order to secure sufficient water for their crops’ irrigation. This illegal groundwater pumping practice has severe consequences for the crops, whose quality is undermined by the brackish – usually even salty – nature of the pumped water, which farmers have to mix with potable water before irrigation, while causing further depletion of Cyprus’ groundwater reserves over the years. Cypriot authorities have been often compelled to tackle drought emergencies by importing millions of tons of water from Greece with large tankers, as was the case during the large drought in 2008. Since independence in 1960, the Cyprus government has recognised the critical role of water in sustainable development by promoting a sustainable water resources strategy in the framework of an integrated environmental policy. The water policy in Cyprus is based on sustainable development of water resources and water demand management. Further information on EMWIS website

27- Achieving food and nutrition security today and for a world population that will number more than 9 billion and be 70% urbanised by 2050 is a key global challenge. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization, current global trends in incomes, diets and population growth suggest that 60% more food will be needed in 2050. The evidence points to this being achievable, but there are some increasingly urgent pressure points in the system that must be addressed, including depleting water tables, climate change, inadequate infrastructure and reductions in land availability, largely as a result of soil degradation. The sustainable development of agriculture has to be a central pillar in this endeavour. All actors in the food value chain, starting with farmers, must be involved. At the same time, we must not forget the broad framework that conditions the development of sustainable agriculture, be this at the national or the international level. At the national level, open markets, relevant education programmes, higher infrastructure investment and appropriate legal frameworks, such as land rights, are needed. At the international level, the global trade regime must be appropriately designed and aligned. The science of agriculture matters too and here we need an objective multistakeholder discussion to allow us to harness innovations and new technologies appropriately. Finally, we must remember that there are several dimensions to food security. Producing the necessary quantity of food is just one; the quality of food, in terms of nutrition, matters greatly, as does affordability, access and safety, while sustainability must underlie all these. Further information on EMWIS website

28- Global water crises – from drought in the world’s most productive farmlands to the hundreds of millions of people without access to safe drinking water – are the biggest threat facing the planet over the next decade. This is the sobering finding of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks 2015 report. It is not only the fourth time water has made the annual list that ranks the greatest risks to economies, environments and people, but the first time that water has moved into the top position for impact. Other risks that made the list are inextricably tied to water management, access, sanitation, equity, health and ecosystems. They include: extreme weather events; failure of national governance, state collapse or crisis; rapid and massive spread of infectious diseases; and failure of climate change adaptation. Water connects, it doesn’t separate. Water crises affect economies of all sizes. Roughly one-third of the world’s population now lives in water-stressed areas, and nearly a billion people still live without access to safe drinking water. Depleted reservoirs and dusty river beds are obvious symptoms, but another piece of the water puzzle is unseen below our feet. Droughts, floods, glacial melt, unpredictable precipitation, runoff, groundwater supplies and water quality will all reflect an increasing instability as long-standing rainfall patterns change and weather extremes increase. Global Risks 2015 says that the nexus of water, food, energy and climate change “is one of the overarching megatrends that will shape the world in 2030.” The solution, no matter where in the world, will be a mosaic made up of different vital pieces. Further information on EMWIS website

29- Investing to provide drinking water for 750 million people in poor nations who lack clean supplies makes clear economic sense with bigger than expected health benefits, World Bank estimates showed recently.  "Provision of basic water and sanitation facilities ... would be a good investment in economic terms," Guy Hutton, senior economist at the World Bank's Water and Sanitation Program, wrote in a report. Universal access to basic drinking water at home would cost $14 billion a year until 2030 and yield benefits of $52 billion, or about $4 for every dollar spent, according to the preliminary findings that will form part of a wider review. The benefits were twice those estimated in a previous global study Hutton led in 2012, he told Reuters, partly because of larger than expected falls in diarrheal disease and lower costs of digging wells or boreholes. Overall, building toilets to eliminate defecation outside in rural areas would cost $13 billion a year to 2030 and give benefits of $84 billion, a return of $6 for every dollar spent. The benefits were slightly less than in a previous study. Investments in better water could mean 170,000 fewer deaths a year while basic sanitation would cut 80,000 deaths, mostly from infectious diarrhea. Water and sanitation have long been U.N. priorities. In the past 25 years, more than two billion people of a world population now totaling about 7.3 billion have gained access to better water and almost two billion to sanitation.  Further information on EMWIS website

30- NASA released the first global rainfall and snowfall map derived from data from its Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The map covers almost 90% of the Earth's surface. It will contribute to a better understanding of the world's climate and its changes, but also to anticipate natural disasters caused by heavy rainfall or droughts. NASA’s Global Precipitation Measurement mission has produced its first global map of rainfall and snowfall. The GPM Core Observatory – launched one year ago on 27 February 2014, as a collaboration between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency – acts as the standard to unify precipitation measurements from a network of 12 satellites. The result is NASA's Integrated Multi-satellite Retrievals for GPM data product, called IMERG, which combines all of these data from 12 satellites into a single, seamless map. The map covers more of the globe than any previous NASA precipitation data set and has repeat coverage every three hours, allowing scientists to see how rain and snow storms move around nearly the entire planet. As scientists work to understand all the elements of Earth’s climate and weather systems, and how they could change in the future, GPM provides a major step forward in providing the scientific community comprehensive and consistent measurements of precipitation. Further information on EMWIS website

31- A high-resolution global-scale groundwater model "Groundwater is a crucial part of the global water cycle. It is the world’s largest accessible source of fresh water and plays a vital role in satisfying basic needs of human society. During times of drought stored groundwater provides a buffer against water shortage and sustains baseflow to rivers and wetlands, thereby supporting ecosystems and biodiversity. However, in many parts of the world groundwater is abstracted at rates that exceed groundwater recharge, causing groundwater levels to drop while baseflow to rivers is no longer sustained." "Most global-scale hydrological models (GHMs) do not include a groundwater flow component, mainly due to lack of geohydrological data at the global scale." However, the new research presented in the openaccess journal, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, seeks to address this problem by creating a new model which takes into consideration groundwater flow. By using this novel approach, the scientists have been able to show that modelling of lateral groundwater flow in GHMs is crucial. Further information on EMWIS website

32- These precious natural resources, which include mangroves, swamps, marshes, rivers, lakes, floodplains and rice fields, provide a range of essential ecosystem services, yet some 64% have been lost since 1900. CTA is contributing to wetlands conservation through its work on climate-smart agriculture (CSA). One of its projects Promoting practices and policies for increasing productivity and resilience of agriculture to climate change is seeking to help ACP farmers to become more resilient and increase productivity under changing climate conditions, while also contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Marcel Silvius, who manages the climate programme of global NGO Wetlands International, says that CSA can help to protect wetlands’ important role in supporting agriculture. “Wetlands represent the world’s most productive areas. Climate smart land use and conservation of wetlands is crucial to ensure that wetland carbon stores are maintained – thus mitigating climate change – and that their water retention, storage and supply functions are kept at optimal levels,” he said. “This will also ensure that wetland productivity is maintained and that wetlands can continue to play their key role in supporting biodiversity.” Further information on EMWIS website

33- Currently, more than 780 million people worldwide lack safe drinking water and over 1.3 billion people are without electricity. By 2035, global energy consumption is estimated to rise by 35 per cent, while water consumption for energy production will increase by 85 per cent. As a result, water stress in the energy sector, which is already serious, is set to worsen. Now a World Bank project aims to inform countries about the risks of ignoring the need for water when designing their energy infrastructure. “Climate change is already sending a very clear signal that under the current business-as-usual scenario, we won’t have enough water to satisfy the need of all the different sectors,” Diego Rodriguez, a senior economist at the World Bank tells SciDev.Net.. “We engage with countries in which this problem may get serious, understanding their limitations when it comes to governance, political support and financial constraints.” Further information on EMWIS website

34- On November 19th and 20th, 2014, the European Investment Bank (EIB), through the Marseille Centre for Mediterranean Integration (CMI), co-organised with the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), and the United Nations ESCWA Technology Center, an experts’ meeting in collaboration with the League of The Arab States (LAS) in Cairo, Egypt. The experts’ meeting aimed to initiate and develop a MENA Innovation Scoreboard that is more adapted to the region particularities. The two intensive working-days, gathered national delegates from Egypt, Jordon, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Bahrain and Qatar. The delegates concluded the meeting by discussing the roadmap to establish the innovation scoreboard, selecting a first set of relevant indicators and agreed to elect National coordinators who will be responsible to follow-up on the project. While all countries in the MENA region recognize that fostering innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity translates into economic progress, well-being and jobs, an articulated understanding of National Innovation Systems (NIS) is lacking as few data are available on the countries’ capabilities and performance on innovation. Platforms such as the Global Innovation Index, the OECD STI Scoreboard, or the Innovation Union Scoreboard have proved to offer policymakers tools to measure progress in nurturing innovation, the ultimate driver of sustainable long-term economic growth. Further information on EMWIS website

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NOMINATIONS and VACANCIES
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35- Tunisia: New Ministers of Agriculture and the Environment and Development. The list of the Tunisian government ministers was announced on February 2, 2015. The new Minister for Environment and Development is Mr. Néjib Derouiche, Mr. Saad Seddik Minister of Agriculture, and Ms. Amel Nafti was appointed Secretary of State for Agriculture. Further information on EMWIS website

36- Nominations for 2015 Champions of the Earth now open: UNEP invites nominations from individuals who have made a significant contribution globally, regionally and beyond, to the protection and sustainable management of the environment and natural resources. Deadline for receipt of nominations for 2015 is on 31 March 2015. All nominations must be supported by three referees. Further information on EMWIS website

37- LEE KUAN YEW Water Prize 2016 opens for nominations: Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), the global platform to share and co-create innovative water solutions, officially opened its call for nominations for the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2016 on March 2nd, 2015. One of the key highlights of SIWW, the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize honours outstanding contributions by individuals or organisations towards solving the world's water challenges by applying innovative technologies, policies or programmes which benefit humanity. This prestigious international award is named after Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, whose foresight and leadership has enabled Singapore to attain a sustainable water supply. The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize 2016 laureate will receive S$300,000, a certificate, and a gold medallion at the award ceremony to be held during SIWW 2016. Nominations close on 1 Jun 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

38- The International Office for Water (OIEau), non-profit association in charge of missions of general interest, runs a network of partners: public and private organizations involved in the management and protection of water resources, in France, Europe and the World. OIEau is recruiting an Executive Deputy General Manager (M / F) CDI (Paris). This position will be opened on 1 January 2016. Further information on EMWIS website

39- Water-Energy-Food Emerging Scholars Award - 1st Prize Funded Invite To Oxford University Workshop: The Global Water Forum announced the launch of the 2014 Emerging Scholars Award. In 2014 the Award will be linked to a workshop at the University of Oxford: ‘Water, Food and Energy: Understanding and Managing the Risks and Trade-offs’ that will take place in June 2014. The author of the winning entry to the Award will be invited to participate in this exclusive 4.5 day intellectual retreat attended by 35 leading researchers and water practitioners. First prize will include a travel grant (return economy travel valued up to AU$1500) and coverage of accommodation and venue expenses. Applications close on April 22nd 2014. Further information on EMWIS website

40- Call for applications for EWACC Conference & Young Scholars Forum: Interactions and feedbacks between rapidly increasing multiple pressures on water, energy and food security drive social-ecological systems towards critical thresholds in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).  Registration is Now Open! Call for Abstract Submissions (Deadline: 31st of March). Young Scholars Forum: June 8-14, 2015. EWACC Conference: June 15-17, 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

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PUBLICATIONS
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41- EU Water Stakeholders contribution to H2020 Work Programme 2016-2017: Priorities for Water in demand-driven research and innovation made by the European Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WssTP) initiative. All the major European water related organisations have been consulted about the document and they have unanimously approved it! Further information on EMWIS website

42- 50 innovative solutions for water & development: UNESCO-IHE recently published a booklet containing 50 innovative solutions in the field of water & development. The innovations were created with its global partnership network to develop, implement and validate novel solutions that ultimately aim to improve the quality of life on our planet. Further information on EMWIS website

43- Connecting water and energy around the Mediterranean: Revolve speaks with Ciarán Ó Cuinn, Director of the Middle East Desalination Research Center (MEDRC) in Muscat, Oman, about connecting water and energy around the Mediterranean. This interview featured in Revolve’s special report on Water & Energy around the Mediterranean on pages 40-43. Further information on EMWIS website

44- An article by Maroc FANTOZZI from IWA Water on pressure management: Pressure Management is considered of paramount importance by the European Commission, highlighted in the European Union reference document "Good Practices on Leakage Management", adopted by EU Water Directors in their final meeting of 2014.  Further information on EMWIS website

45- UNOOSA has contributed to a new publication by the Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) on the use of satellite-based Earth observation (EO) for disaster risk reduction. "Satellite Earth Observations in Support of Disaster Risk Reduction" is a special edition developed for the upcoming Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) in Sendai in March.  Further information on EMWIS website

46- UN Report Calls for Wastewater Focus in Post-2015 Agenda, as 80% of World's Wastewater Discharged Untreated: The report argues that wastewater management has been neglected in the rush to commercialize drinking water production, a situation exacerbated by a fragmented water management system in many countries, and the use of different technologies that are often designed separately and retrofitted to existing systems. Further information on EMWIS website

47- Science for Disaster Risk Reduction: The purpose of this report is to provide a comprehensive overview of the JRC activities in relation to disaster risk reduction and response. The report showcases the tools and methodologies developed by the JRC to help in all phases of disaster management, from preparedness and risk management to recovery and reconstruction, through to forecasting and early warning (December 2014). Further information on EMWIS website

48- Environment and health: The best scientific evidence now indicates that chemicals in our air, water, soil, food, homes, schools and work places can be important causative factors in many human diseases and health conditions.  Further information on EMWIS website

49- SOER 2015 — The European environment — state and outlook 2015: A comprehensive assessment of the European environment's state, trends and prospects, in a global context. The synthesis report informs future European environmental policy in general and its implementation between 2015 and 2020 in particular. It includes a reflection on the European environment in a global context, as well as chapters summarising the state of, trends in, and prospects for the environment in Europe. Further information on EMWIS website

50- Membrane Configuration Influences Microbial Capacitive Desalination Performance: This is the title of the recently accepted paper by Dandan Ma, Casey Forrestal, Min Ji, Ruying Li, Hongting Ma and Zhiyong Jason at the Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology Journal. Further information on EMWIS website

51- "A new SBC Energy Institute FactBook: Introduction to the Water and Energy Challenge": Freshwater supply will not meet forecast demand, requiring compromises; Water shortages are already affecting energy supply; Location-specific solutions will be required. Further information on EMWIS website.

52- New engineering model describing how the energy-water nexus works: A paper recently published by the LIINES in Applied Energy titled “Quantitative engineering systems modeling and analysis of the energy–water nexus”presents such a systems-of-system model.  Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR TENDERS and PROPOSALS
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53- SWIM and Horizon 2020 Support Mechanisms Call for tenders - EuropeAid/136537/DH/SER/MULTI: Deadline Date: 23/03/2015. The service contract will implement a regional project targeting countries in the EU Neighbourhood South region. The services will consist in providing expertise and tailored technical assistance, inter alia in the form of studies and assessments, trainings and coaching, study tours, peer-to-peer exchanges, as well as communication and visibility activities, to pursue the following 2 interrelated objectives: — strengthening and better enforcing national regulatory and policy frameworks for reducing and preventing pollution of the Mediterranean Sea, in particular from municipal waste, urban waste water and industrial pollution (Horizon 2020 (marine pollution reduction and prevention) support mechanism — H2020 SM). Maximum budget: 7 000 000 EUR. Further information on EMWIS website

54- Next Horizon 2020 Calls for Proposals: ICT 2015 - Information and Communication Technologies: Deadline: 14.04.2015, Water Innovation: Boosting its value for Europe: Deadline: 21.04.2015; Sustainable Food Security: Deadline:11.06.2015. FET-OPEN - Novel ideas for radically new technologies: Deadline: 29.09.2015. A new call for proposals on water innovation is currently open. Deadline for submission of proposals is 21 April 2015, 17pm (Brussels time). Further information on EMWIS website

55- Submit your COST Action proposal: You can submit your COST Action proposal at any time throughout the year via the new e-COST online submission tool. The 2015 spring Collection Date is 24 March at 12:00 noon (CET). The Call is open to ideas in all fields of Science and Technology including Humanities and Social Sciences. COST invites proposals for Actions contributing to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST) is the longest-running European framework supporting trans-national cooperation among researchers, engineers and scholars across Europe. Further information on EMWIS website

56- UNEP DTU ADMIRE Project Accepting Applications Until 20 March 2015: Got an idea to engage the private sector in mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries? UNEP DTU under the ADMIRE project offers support to turn such an idea into real action! ADMIRE is funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Building. It is implemented from 2014 to 2016 by United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and the UNEP DTU Partnership, formerly known as UNEP Risø Centre. Further information on EMWIS website

57- The WaterWorks2014 Cofudend Call: Stepping up EU research and innovation cooperation in the water area.  The ERA-NET Cofund WaterWorks2014 was launched in 2014 in support of the Water JPI. It is funded by the EC under Horizon 2020. 1st Stage - Deadline for Submission of Pre-Proposals: 4 May 2015, 17h00 (CET). 2nd Stage - Deadline for Submission of Full Proposals: 14 September 2015, 17h00 (CET). This Cofunded Call is funded by 17 Funding Organisations from 15 different countries –with the European Commission participation. This call is for collaborative transnational research proposals. Consortium should include a minimum of 3 partners from 3 different participating countries. Further information on EMWIS website

58- Cross-regional grants competition: The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invite non-profit organizations from Europe and Central Asia and the MENA region to submit their project ideas to the OFID-UNDP Cross–Regional Grants Competition and jointly develop, test, or share innovative and scalable solutions to development challenges from the two regions. The two thematic priorities of this competition are: Priority 1: Affordable energy and water solutions: looking into technological solutions that combat the lack of access to energy or water; and Priority 2: Economic governance and employment: addressing the need for a more inclusive labor market while increasing the capacity of people to access it. The grants of minimum US$ 20 000 to maximum US$ 55 000 will support projects over a 12-month period. The grants will be awarded to non-profit organizations from the following countries: Middle East and North Africa: Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Somalia, State of Palestine, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen. Expression of interest form and submit it no later than 30 March 2015, 17:00 (GMT+2). Further information on EMWIS website

59- Morocco: Call for expressions of interest - establishment of a public private partnership in the areas of desalination of sea water and irrigation to the perimeter of Chtouka Ait Baha in the Agadir region. The Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Fisheries wants to identify and get in touch now with investors and / or potentially interested private operators. Companies and organizations interested are invited to remove the pre-qualification application and submit their applications no later than April 17, 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

60- Saudi Arabia's Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC) is poised to invite tenders for its planned increase in water production in the kingdom to meet is soaring demand for potable water according to a recent report in MEED. The state-run utility intends to up the country's desalination capacity by almost 50% to some 6.5 million m³. It is developing new facilities including the eastern Jubail 3 plant in Rabigh and the Jeddah 3 desalination plant. Investment in Jubail - the biggest project - has been reported as SAR 30 billion (US$ 8 billion), while the Rabigh water plant is expected to cost SAR 6 billion (US$ 1.6 billion). Sites for other proposed projects elsewhere in Saudi Arabia include the cities of Dhiba and Omloj. Further information on EMWIS website

61- Tunisia: "ENPI CBC Med Programme: Extension of the deadline for the tender in Tunisia". The Higher School of Rural Equipment Engineering of Medjez El Bab (Tunisia) informs that the international call notice for tender seemed dated on January 24 (first publication) for the acquisition, installation and commissioning of a pyrolisis material: treatment of domestic and agricultural wastes, is extended until 27/03/2015. Further information on EMWIS website

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CALL FOR PAPERS
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62- Call for case studies on Solid waste management, environmental science, green economy and sustainable development: IAP is funding a Global Young Academy (GYA) project to conduct a joint IAP/GYA policy report on "Solid Waste Management and Green Economy".  Deadline: 30 April 2015.  Further information on EMWIS website

63- Call for abstracts for the COSPAR 2nd Symposium will be “Water and Life in the Universe”: The theme of the COSPAR 2nd Symposium will be “Water and Life in the Universe”.  Abstracts Submission: 02 March - 31 May 2015. Registration: Early: 01 June – 31 July Regular: 01 Aug – 31 Oct. Symposium: 09 – 13 Nov, 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

64- Water Efficiency Conference 2015 - Abstract Deadline Extended: The abstract submission deadline has been extended to 20th March.  The conference will be held from 5th-7th August, 2015 in Exeter, UK. Further information on EMWIS website.

65- Call for proposals for the International Conference: "Our Common Future Under Climate Change". "Our Common Future Under Climate Change", an international conference to be held at UNESCO in Paris July 7-10, has published a call for side events. The deadline to submit proposals is 15 May 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

66- Call for Abstracts | 2nd conference on Agriculture in an Urbanizing Society: Reconnecting Agriculture and Food Chains to Societal Needs | Italy, Rome, 14-17 September 2015. Deadline for Abstracts submission: 31 March 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

67- Invitation to survey on Assessing key policy scenarios in the Ecosystem-Water-Food-Energy (EWFE) Nexus: A survey-based “Multi-criteria WATER NEXUS Stakeholders’ Decision Making Model” aims to evaluate and prioritize the policy scenarios related to the Ecosystem-Water-Food-Energy (EWFE) Security Nexus, and to figure out  the synergies & conflicts among these scenarios by analysing the expert opinions via this Survey. The following survey aims at implementing this method in the Mediterranean Region to support possible initiative of Mediterranean Water Nexus just after the Water Nexus Workshop held in Ankara last February 12-13, 2015.  The survey may take approximately your 15 minutes. Allocating some of your time by doing this questionnaire to support our initiative will pretty please us. The results of the survey will be provided you as well. Further information on EMWIS website

68- Water footprint survey: Water Footprint Network (WFN) is currently working on the AquaPath project co-funded by the European Commission, about individual water footprint awareness. The goal of our project is to better understand citizens’ awareness on water footprint and water sustainability. Then its aim is to develop a series of information materials and tools made available to the public in general and schools, about water footprint and how all citizens can play an important role in the sustainable use of water. They need your help to fill out this survey that should take a maximum of 10 minutes to complete and any (voluntary) personal information will be kept confidential. The aim of this questionnaire is to assess citizens’ understanding of water consumption. Further information on EMWIS website

69- Call for abstracts for the 3rd Annual International Conference on Water: Its mission is to act as a forum where Academics and Researchers from all over the world can meet and exchange ideas on their research, and discuss the future developments in their disciplines. Deadline to submit abstracts: 23 March 2015 (Decisions are reached in less than 4 weeks after the abstract submission). Further information on EMWIS website

70- Call for Abstract | Wageningen Soil Conference 2015 | Deadline March 23rd 2015 Further information on EMWIS website

71- Call for abstracts for the first International Conference on the Hydrology of African Large River Basins, to be held in Hammamet, Tunisia, 26th-30th October 2015, under the UNESCO FRIEND programs and the International Sediment Initiative -ISI, with the IAHS support, and many other institutions sponsorship. The deadline for abstracts submission is: 31 March 2015. Further information on EMWIS website

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TRAINING
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72- Water Security for Policy Makers and Practitioners short course - 7-11 September 2015, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK: The course is designed for entry and mid-level water and development policy-makers and professionals in government, donor, NGO or implementing agencies as well as for environmental journalists, consultants and activists. Further information on EMWIS website

73- Agro-food marketing Master: Next edition: 1st part: 28 September 2015 – 3 June 2016 / 2nd part: September 2016 – June 2017. The Master is organized by the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Zaragoza (IAMZ) of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM). The Master is open to students from all over the world, although they come mainly from CIHEAM member countries (Albania, Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey), from Europe and Latin America. Further information on EMWIS website

[2015/04/15 - 2015/04/20] Continued Professional Education & Training in Water : Seawater Reverse Osmosis System Operation & Features of Optimum Design (Hands-On), Muscat, Oman
Further information on EMWIS website

[2015/03/21 - 2015/03/22] Morocco: Second Remote Sensing training session, Rabat, Morocco
Further information on EMWIS website

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

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