Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector -

The 1^st Regional Conference of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) labelled project “Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector” will be held on 28-30 October 2014, in Athens, Greece, in close collaboration with the EU funded “Sustainable Water Integrated Management - Support Mechanism” (SWIM-SM) project.

The Conference aims to reinforce the regional dialogue set off during the launching of the UfM project in May 2013, as well as the sharing of experiences on water governance and sustainable financing. In that respect, the Conference will bring together targeted stakeholders from the Mediterranean region, both within and outside the water sector, including public authorities, civil society and the private sector.

The Conference will build upon the outcomes of the Water Policy Dialogues conducted in Jordan and Tunisia during the first year of the UfM project’s implementation (2013-2014) and will discuss the way forward for the second year. Moreover, the Conference will benefit from the relevant work conducted by SWIM-SM, and will also review synergies with other regional actors, aimed to enhance sustainable financing of water infrastructure, including through private sector participation.

The Conference represents an integral part of the activities of the “Governance & Financing for the Mediterranean Water Sector” project that is jointly implemented by the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The steady support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), the European Investment Bank, the GEF/ MAP UNEP MedPartnership programme and the Mediterranean Component of the EU Water Initiative (MED EUWI) has been crucial for the implementation of the project and its activities.

The Sessions of the Conference will be held at the Acropolis Museum and at the Divani Acropolis Hotel. The working languages will be English and French with simultaneous interpretation.

You can find here the concept note and draft agenda (in English and French) of the 1^st Regional Conference, with further information on the current status of both the UfM-labelled and the SWIM-SM projects.

Source GWP