Environment and Water

Division of Environment and Water

The Mediterranean faces environmental threats to its biodiversity, natural resources, habitable areas and health. While the South is confronted with water scarcity and droughts, the North is victim of floods and fires.

The Environment and Water division works closely with the European Commission, UNEP-Mediterranean Action Plan Member countries experts and several other institutions to help counter these threats, focusing on four major regional priorities:

• H2020 initiative to depollute the Mediterranean with an objective to tackle by 2020 80% of pollution loading: the division works on improving delivery, efficacy and preparation of the next phase (2014-2020)

• UfM Water Agenda based on the Draft Water Strategy for the Mediterranean (SWM): the division awaits the endorsement and drafting of its Action Plan. This framework has four main pillars: water governance; water and climate change adaptation; water demand management; and water financing.

• Protection of Marine Environment: the division works with UNEP-MAP and other stakeholders towards adopting/ adapting existing initiatives into the UfM strengthening and expanding existing UfM formal and stakeholders’ platforms such as ARLEM and UfMPA, establishing new platforms, including private-public partnerships, NGOs etc.

Most importantly, the division concentrates on major impact projects, integrating stakeholders with respect to the principle of variable geometry that are of high priority but cannot be implemented because of political difficulties and contribute to their concretization and promotion.

Together, we want to determine the real needs, brainstorm in depth through workshops, research the niches, identify and develop innovative project proposals, advice and give feedback during implementation, review and analyze the results and outputs and finally monitor and evaluate the outcomes and impact. Only with such an in-depth process, the required funding for such projects will be achievable and the UfM, with both its ideals and its partners, can succeed.

Team