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Les actes du colloque seront mis en ligne fin août
Merci et à bientôt
L’association CEDMED
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May 29, 2008 at UNESCO - ROOM IV and ROOM XI
09:00 Coffee
09:30 Opening address
Laurence Tubiana, Director, Head of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) and the Center for Sustainable Development at Sciences Po, Jean-Marc Châtaigner, Head of Cabinet for the State Secretary in Charge of Cooperation (French Ministry of Foreign Affairs); Antonino Crea, Head of Water and Sanitation Sector, EuropeAid (European Commission); Fadi Comair, Director General, Ministry of Energy and Water, Lebanon
Presentations of the key water-related issues in the Mediterranean basin
Pierre Icard, Plan Bleu (
PowerPoint); Jean-François Donzier, General Director, International Office for Water (OIEAU) ( PowerPoint)
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 – 13:00 Workshop 1 and 2 (simultaneous workshops)
- Workshop 1: Climate Change and Water Management in the Mediterranean Basin: Stakes and Perspectives
In the Mediterranean basin, disequilibrium between the demand and availability of water already exists. The situation is further aggravated by the increasing demand for water due largely to evolving demographics and life styles, rapid urbanisation and the development of tourism. In this already fragile context, climate change will have strong negative impacts on the quantity and quality of water in the entire region. This first workshop will present the numerous potential regional consequences as fresh water in the Mediterranean basin becomes scarcer due to climate change. The speakers will address the predicted impacts and possible ways to adapt to climate change. An international response appears critical to minimise the risks threatening local, regional and international stability, such as the multiplication of trans-border conflicts over water issues and the emergence of “climate refugees.
- PRESIDENT : Patrice Burger, Programme Solidarité Eau(pS-Eau)
- PANEL : Michel Soulié, Agropolis; Gaëlle Thivet, Water Unit, Plan Bleu ; Stéphane Simonet, World Water Council (WWC); Sébastien Treyer, AgroParisTech
- Workshop 2: Improving access to water and sanitation: Which role for public-private partnerships?
Water management policy for the Mediterranean region must simultaneously respond to multiple demands: guarantee access to clean drinking water and sanitation for all, particularly for regions and disadvantaged populations lagging behind the progress made under the Millennium Development Goals; balance supply and demand by developing innovative technologies while at the same time better managing demand; clean up polluted water to protect natural habitats and the Mediterranean Sea.
In this context, an increasingly important role is being attributed to public-private partnerships (PPP) in order to mobilise know-how and capital from the private sector, creating multiple partnerships in the sectors of distribution of drinkable water, sanitation and desalinisation. This workshop will deal with the advantages, risks and shortcomings associated with PPP. What conclusions can be drawn from experiences with PPP? What possibilities can be foreseen?
- CHAIR: Bernard Barraqué, AgroParisTech
PANEL: Larbi Bouguerra, Alliance pour un monde responsable, pluriel et solidaire; Lise Breuil, Agence Française de Développement; Mehdi Lahlou, Association for a World Contract on Water (Acme) and National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics, Rabat; Andrea Mangano, Director of Inter-national Operations, Acea Roma S.p.A.; Dominique Pin, The International Federation of Private Water Operators (AquaFed)
13:00-15:00 Lunch Break
15:00-17:00 Workshop 3 and 4 (simultaneous workshops)
- Workshop 3: What agricultural model for sustainable water management?
Agriculture is the largest consuming sector of water in the Mediterranean region, and is responsible for 65% of the total demand (48% in the North and approximately 80% in the South and East). Decision-makers are often confronted with contradictory demands when it comes to creating agricultural policies. Policies must use water resources in a sustainable way, generate economic growth through agricultural exportation, assure the security of food supply and maintain jobs related to agriculture, on which a large portion of the population are dependant.
This workshop will analyse the experiences of different agricultural production methods and water governance in the Mediterranean. What technical solutions and institutions are needed for the sustainable use of water? What is the possible contribution of “virtual water” in the import and export of agricultural commodities? What political alternatives can guarantee sustainable agricultural methods?
- CHAIR: Daniel Zimmer, Executive Director of the World Water Council (WWC)
PANEL: Mohamed Ait-Kadi, President of the General Council of Agricultural Development (Morroco); Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, University of Saragossa and winner of the 2003 Goldman Environmental Prize; Pierre Blanc, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM); Thierry Ruf, Institut de recherche pour le développement (IRD)
Workshop 4: Towards the sustainable management of water in the Mediterranean region: What are the contributions of France and the European Union?
France and the European Union attribute great importance to cooperation in the water sector. Cooperative projects aim, among other things, to improve sustainable access to clean drinking water and to collect and treat polluted water, to increase the efficiency of agricultural irrigation and to reinforce the capacties to develop a plan for “Integrated Water Resources Management” (IWRM). Because reinforcing the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation will be a major focus during the French Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2008, this workshop will analyse cooperative activities concerning water in the region. What are the major domains requiring of intervention? Does a common strategy exist, which favours the sustainable water management? What level of priority should water be given in the Union for the Mediterranean?
- CHAIR: Hervé Lainé, Conseil Général des Ponts et Chaussées (CGPC)
PANEL: Pascal Berteaud, Water director, Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development (MEEDDAT); Antonino Crea, Head of Water and Sanitation Sector, EuropeAid (European Commission); Fadi Comair, Director General, Ministry of Energy and Water, Lebanon; Mohammed Ennabli, President of the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME) and former Minister of Environment of Tunisia;
Antoine-Tristan Mocilnikar, Director of Environment and Sustainable Development Unit, Mediterranean Union Project ; Pierre Pougnaud, Senior Advisor, French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Local Government international action department
17:00-18:00 Coffee Break
18:00-20:00 Closing debate
Confronting the crisis of fresh water in the Mediterranean Basin
The Mediterranean basin is confronted with a triple crisis: a crisis of quantity, a crisis of quality and a crisis of equity. In the final plenary debate, the speakers will present their analyses concerning the causes and consequences of these crises. They will then develop propositions for the sustainable management of water that will respond to three challenges: water policies in the 21st century must guarantee society’s most disadvantaged access to clean water and sanitation, permit economic development, and improve the quality of water, protecting this resource for future generations. How can European and French policy-makers contribute to the sustainable management of water in the Mediterranean basin? In focusing the debate on this question, we hope to develop ideas that will inspire political action from the European Union under the French presidency.
CHAIR: Laurence Tubiana, Director, Head of the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations (IDDRI) and the Center for Sustainable Development at Sciences Po
PANEL: Mohamed Ait-Kadi, President of the General Council of Agricultural Development (Morroco); Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, University of Saragossa and winner of the 2003 Goldman Environmental Prize; Mohammed Ennabli, President of the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME) and former Minister of Environment of Tunisia; Pierre Jacquet, Managing Director for Strategy and Chief Economist of France’s international development agency (AFD); Alain Le Roy, Ambassador in charge of the project of a Mediterranean Union
