INBO - Newsletter

41 INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 The Mediterranean and Middle East The Euro-Mediterranean Water Information System (EMWIS) SEMIDE E MW I S Better management of knowledge on water in the Mediterranean area Focus on innovation In March 2018, EMWIS acted as the voice of the Mediterranean at the World Water Forum in Brasilia (sessions on restoring ecosystems, reuse and data management) and participated in launching some innovative new pro- jects to: l Revolutionize value chains invol- ving production, usage and recycling of water using nature- based solutions for the Medi- terranean islands. This is the ambition of the HYDROUSA pro- ject for the next four years. EMWIS is responsible for exploiting the results for replication in the Medi- terranean. www.hydrousa.org l Work towards a Mediterranean cluster for innovation in green- house crops (MED Green- house): EMWIS gathers stakehol- ders from the Provence-Alps-Ri- viera region to pool and foster knowhow to give this sector impetus, with a Mediterranean approach based on water-energy efficiency, production with high added value, and short circuits. medgree nhouses.interreg-med.eu l Creation of a global network of excellence on nature-based solutions for agriculture and urban regeneration as part of the EdiCitNet project. cordis.europa.eu/project/ rcn/216082_de.html Mediterranean Water Knowledge Platform Following training and exchange activities in 2017 as part of the Med- iterranean Water Knowledge Platform, guides on setting up National Water Information Systems (NWIS) and white papers on countries in the region were produced by the platform partners (IOWater - IME - EMWIS - MENBO) with support from the Prince Albert II Foundation of Monaco. In parallel, support to define NWISs was put in place in two countries of the Union for the Mediterranean. In Mauritania, as part of the Global Water Partnership program, “Water, Climate and Development (WACDEP) for Africa”, a 10-year action plan with a € 3.3 M budget dedicated to data management on water resources, was jointly defined with UNICEF and inte- grated into the national action plan for water and sanitation. In Lebanon, with support from FAO, a plan to develop an NWIS was prepared as part of an initiative of the national center for water information and trai­ ning (CNIFE). Staggered over five years, and with a budget of € 6.5M, it includes long- term monitoring of water, archiving, and data processing and dissemina- tion. An amendment to the new Water Code was proposed to guarantee the cooperation of all stakeholders. At the regional level, a training course was organized in Vienna, as part of the EU support mechanism for sustainable integrated water management (SWIM- H2020-SM), on data requirements for planning and integrated management of river basins. www.semide.net/initiatives/MWKP Support in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia As part of SWIM-H2020-SM, EMWIS carried out technical assistance mis- sions. In Algeria, to define a strategy to implement protection perimeters for water catchment zones. In Morocco, to prepare application decrees of the 2016 Water Act con- cerning the management of drought, delimitation of protection zones, and desalination. In Tunisia, partly to define a strategy to implement rural sanitation, and partly to improve the management of groundwater. Integrated, Sustainable Management of Water Resources in North Africa (GIZ program) As part of its program “Regional Coop- eration in the Water Sector in North Africa - CREM”, GIZ asked IOWater to provide expertise on IWRM and in setting up information systems in the Mediterranean. The idea was to initi- ate reflection between decision-mak- ers in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia on the situation, and on directions for improving information to make IWRM decisions. The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), partner in the CREM program, ensures exchanges between water managers in the three countries. Faced with the growing gap between water resources and demand in the region, this exploratory action is aimed to help political and technical deci- sion-makers become aware of the need to rely on reliable, exhaustive knowl- edge that is regularly updated and shared in order to guarantee sustain- able management of water resources. Bilateral meetings in each country were organized in collaboration with EMWIS. SWIM-H2020-SM training in Vienna - April 2018 www.emwis.net