The "5th Conference of the Water Directors of the Euro-Mediterranean and Southeastern European Countries" will take place on 21 and 22 July 2008, in Athens, Greece. The main objective of this conference is to prepare for the special ad hoc Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water planned in Jordan, on 29 October 2008 and the related civil society event on 28 October. This, and much more water news is available on the EMWIS website where you can also subscribe to the monthly EMWIS Flash.

EuropeAid, together with DG Development and DG Humanitarian Aid, is organizing a conference-round table on "Water and Waste Management in the EU External Aid". It will be held on 15 July at ExpoZaragosa, the three-month expo devoted to Water, in Zaragoza, Spain. Commissioner Louis Michel, responsible for development and humanitarian aid, will give a speech that will be broadcast live on the Commission site and on Europe By Satellite.
Download the agenda of the conference
Register to the conference

"GLOBAL CHANGE: Enough Water for all?" is the title of a new book written by a group of international experts and published by the University of Hamburg. The aim of this book is to contribute to the public discussion on our relations and dealings with water, especially as 1.2 billion people (20 percent of the world population) have no secure access to clean drinking water and 2.4 billion people do not dispose of access to sanitary installations. The book is part of efforts to shape the public opinion towards an integrated view on water and the necessity to ensure enough water for coming generations. About 250 free copies are available for libraries of institutions in developing countries. To apply, visit: http://www1.uni-hamburg.de/Warnsignale/buchWater.html

The First Annual Assembly of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development (AFED) will be held in Manama, the capital of Bahrain on October 26 and 27, 2008 to delve in alternative environmental and development policies for the region.
The participants are to debate for the first time a comprehensive independent expert report on Arab environment entitled "Arab Environment: Future Challenges". The report, has been commissioned by AFED, and written by some of the most prominent Arab experts, under the leadership of Dr. Mostafa Kamal Tolba, the renowned international environmental pioneer and former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It covers integrating environment in development planning, consumption and production patterns, the quality of water, air, marine life, lands, and forest, in addition to waste management, food safety, climate change, biological safety and laws.
Beyond appraising the state of the environment, based on the most recent data, the policy-oriented report also evaluates the progress towards the realization of sustainable development targets, assesses current policies and examines the Arab contribution to global environmental endeavors. Ultimately, the report proposes alternative policies and remedial action, according to AFED.
Alongside AFED members, the Assembly will be open to all major stakeholders: private and public sectors, policy makers, international and regional institutions, academia, civil society and media. For more information, visit: http://www.afedonline.org/conference/default.html

Malta is to host two conferences in September on environment. the first will be the 14th international conference on urban transport and the environment and it will take place from 1 to 3 September. The second conference is third international one on sustainable tourism and it will occur from 3 to 5 September. The two conferences are organized by the Wessex Institute of Technology in the United Kingdom. For more information about these conferences and other international environment conferences, visit the institute website at: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2008/

Youth from 10 Euro-Mediterranean countries will discuss the environmental issues in the Mediterranean area in a conference, to be held in Oujda, north east Morocco, from 20 to 29 June. The conference is organized by Chantiers Sociaux Marocains in Ahfir in the context of the EuroMed programme for Youth III's unit at the Moroccan Secretary of Youth.

The conference aims to raise environmental awareness, set environment as a priority issue at local and regional levels, draw the link between environment and development, exchange the experiences of participating countries as regards environment protection projects, and promoting non-governmental and local organizations to focus their attention on environment.

The participating countries are Egypt, France, Tunisia, Spain, Algeria, Italy, Jordan, Portugal and Belgium. You can learn more about the EuroMed Youth III programme at http://www.euromedyouth.net/spip.php?rubrique2

The second international conference on economic, financial and statistical aspects of water and sanitation is to open in Alexandroupolis in Thrace, Greece from 3 to 5 July, 2009. The deadline for submitting abstracts is 15 November 2008. The conference is intended to make a major contribution to the transfer of knowledge from research to practice covering the entire water cycle, ultimately influencing major policy decisions. It is organized by the International Water Association (IWA) in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Engineering of the Democritus University of Thrace and the Department of Economics of the University of Crete. For more information, visit: http://www.soc.uoc.gr/iwa/2009/iwa_page.php

Two major projects from the Euro-Med regional programmes, EMWIS and SMAP, were in the spotlight to celebrate World Environment Day. On June 5, the EuroMed Info Centre published the stories in English, French and Arabic: a feature entitled "Olive mill waste: a source of concern for the environment," focusing on the SMAP II-funded project in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. To read it, click: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.0.successstory.en.22.html, and a second feature "EMWIS Algeria: the winning team," on water management successes in Algeria. Read the full story at http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.0.successstory.en.15.html

After several years of negotiations and following the last ratifications by Syria and Croatia, the 1996 amendments to the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities have finally entered into force. The entry into force of the Protocol accelerates the process for Mediterranean countries to develop short-term and medium-term regional action plans and programmes containing legally binding measures and timetables for their implementation, as stated in article 15 of the Barcelona Convention. According to art.15, the plans and the programmes must be approved within one year following the entry into force of the protocol and then become legally binding.

"The entry into force of the Protocol for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution from Land-based Sources and Activities provides the region with a very modern and powerful legal instrument for the elimination of land-based pollution. This is a major breakthrough for MAP and its legal framework, that commits Contracting Parties to enter into a concrete process of pollution reduction with precise targets and deadlines, in order to protect the Mediterranean region", said UNEP/MAP Coordinator Paul Mifsud. For more information, go to: http://www.unepmap.org/index.php?module=news&action=detail&id=37

The Association of Lebanese Industrialists (ALInd), the Lebanese member of BUSINESSMED, managed to secure 200,000 euros in funding from the Environment Fund for Lebanon financed by GTZ, an international cooperation enterprise for sustainable development with worldwide operations. This is a very promising follow-on from the SMAP III TA BusinessMed initiative, ongoing for over a year now, that has centered on actively involving the private sector in promoting sustainable development in the region. The amount, to be funded under the BUSSINESSMED memorandum of understanding, will be used over 18 months for a project with the following objectives:

1. Create a nucleus for a unit at ALInd that will provide services for and promote environmental and SD practices with the members
2. Ensure sustainability for the implementation of the roadmap developed with the help of SMAP III TA.
3. Support the members of ALInd in complying to the EU REACH directive thus reducing the use of toxic and environmentally unsafe chemicals in industry and improving access to export markets.
4. Provide small grants to medium- and small-scale enterprises for compliance with environmental standards and the REACH directive.
5. Help larger enterprises prepare a funding file to be submitted to banks in Lebanon and other donors through linkages with the SMAP III TA Sustainable Finance initiative.

MEPs support the "fresh political and practical impetus" given to the revised Barcelona process in order to raise its profile and highlight its tangible benefits for citizens and, in particular, for citizens on the southern shore of the Mediterranean, but ask that concrete projects such as solar electricity and water desalination are promoted. The Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) should become the parliamentary dimension of the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean, the say in a joint resolution adopted at the Plenary today with 562 votes in favour, 50 against and 30 abstentions, with amendments approved. To read the article, click: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/008-30830-156-06-23-
901-20080604IPR30761-04-06-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm

A comprehensive reference for water and wetland managers was issued recently by four international organizations with a long record of water conservation. With input from several experts around the world, the "Wetland Management Planning - a Guide for Site Managers" deals with several pragmatic aspects: building trust, participation, and capacity; assessing wetlands values; and setting achievable objectives. The four partners are the WWF, the Ramsar Convention, IUCN, and Wetlands International. The guide can be downloaded from: http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/freshwater/index.cfm?uNewsID=132501

Ten species of sea grass in the Mediterranean region are now considered endangered, said a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report. Seagrass meadows produce over 80% of the annual fish yields in the Mediterranean, so this threat to ten species of grass could seriously undermine future fish production. For more detail, see the full report:
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/where_we_work/ecoregions/mediterranean_sea.cfm

The University Center for Euro-Mediterranean Studies (Center EMUNI), established at a Slovenian initiative, is to open in Portoroz-Piran, Slovenia on June 9 under the auspices of Slovenia’s Prime Minister Janez Janša. Janša, who doubles also as the president of the European Council, will give a speech at the inaugural session together with Amr Moussa, the secretary-general of the Arab League, Hans-Gert Pottering, the president of the European Parliament, Jose Manuel Durao Barroso, the president of the European Commission. During the inauguration, the foundation charter of the Euro-Mediterranean University with its seat in Slovenia will be signed.
The summer school at Center EMUNI will begin its courses as of 16 June in several areas, including architecture, tourism in the Mediterranean area, maritime resources and coastal zone management, climate change and its effect on the Mediterranean. The center provides education in several languages, including Arabic for certain courses. It also provides education grants and e-learning courses. To apply, click: http://www.emuni.si/en/strani/88/Inauguration-Ceremony.html

Egypt’s Human Development Report for 2008 was released by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the Institute of National Planning, bringing together an array of independent, multi-disciplinary contributors from the nation’s finest experts. The report address the problems of environment in Egypt and the role needed by NGOs. To access to the report, visit: http://www.unic-eg.org/Default.aspx?tabid=180

Marrakech is to host a workshop on the “technological perspectives for rational use of water resources in the Mediterranean region”, from October 29 to November 2, 2008. The workshop is the second regional one organized by the EU-funded MELIA project (Mediterranean Dialogue on Integrated Water Management), which is dedicated to technological perspectives for rational use of water resources in the Mediterranean region. The workshop seeks to formulate a consensus on the socio-economic environment future perspectives that water technology must envisage in the Mediterranean and to assess relevant Mediterranean wide options and experiences brought directly into MELIA or provided indirectly by the different external stakeholders. To read more, visit: http://www.meliaproject.eu

Egypt launched recently the first phase of a new database aimed at tracking its progress towards the development goals. The launch of EgyInfo 1.0 is considered a step in the right direction towards development. EgyptInfo 1.0 is the Egyptian version of the United Nation’s DevInfo, a database used to monitor progress in the Millennium Development Goals, mainly halving extreme poverty, getting rid of HIV/AIDS, and providing universal primary education by 2015. The EgyInfo database generates tables, graphs and maps for reports and presentations. In addition, the portal the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), and the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), maintains indicators by time periods and geographic areas to monitor commitments to sustained human development. To access the portal, visit http://www.egyinfo.net.eg/DI5Web/home.aspx

The declining water level of the Dead Sea has far reaching environmental, social, and economic consequences for the Dead Sea region and beyond. The water level of the Dead Sea has fallen over twenty meters in less than fifty years. The current rate of decline is approximately one meter per year. The consequent impacts on the region of the shrinking Sea are varied, numerous, and may soon become irreversible. On May 22, 2005 at the annual World Economic Forum - Dead Sea, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority announced their agreement and commitment to study the feasibility of transferring water from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea as a solution to stop the rapidly declining level of the Dead Sea. To know more, go to: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/MENAEXT/0,,contentMDK:20664264
~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:256299,00.html

The European Commission has adopted a document with proposals for upgrading relations with its Mediterranean partners, through the “Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean“. External Relations and ENP Commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, presented an outline, which aim at giving renewed vitality and visibility to the EU’s relations with Partners in the Mediterranean region. The proposals include the setting up of a Secretariat and the creation of a permanent committee of Euro-Mediterranean representatives. The policy paper also outlines the kinds of projects that would help improve the lives and livelihoods of the region’s citizens. The proposals contained in the Communication will be presented at the inaugural Summit of “Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean”, in Paris, on 13 July, 2008. For more information, visit: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.168.news.en.3872.html

Medcoast is organizing its second international conference on integrated coastal management (ICM) in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea in Akyaka, Turkey, from October 14 to 18. The conference is entitled “Immediate Needs for Research, Education/Training and Implementation”. Deadline for abstract submission is May 31, 2008. For more information on guidelines and contacts, visit: http://www.medcoast.org.tr

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) of eastern Africa in conjunction with GTZ Cooperation and River Basin Organizations is organizing a competition for youth and children with the purpose of promoting integrated water management. The winners will have the opportunity to travel to Cairo to present their winning essays at the African Union Summit on June 30th 2008. Submissions should be presented before May 30th 2008. For more information, visit: http://blog.eatribune.com/2008/05/21/youth-water-competition/

To support the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) partner countries (and Russia) in their efforts to converge their environmental policies to the principles and approaches developed in EU legislation, DG Environment has produced six brief “Convergence Guides”. Convergence of the environmental policies of the partner countries is foreseen in the ENP Action Plans. This is expected to bring environmental benefits both to the countries concerned and the European region. The guides, in English, French, Arabic and Russian, cover the key areas of water quality, waste management, air quality, horizontal issues, nature protection, and industrial pollution. To read the guides, go to: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/enlarg/short_convergence.htm

A new website Climate-L.ORG (http://www.climate-l.org) kicked off with the aim of giving access to the United Nations activities on climate change and information about ongoing negotiations. The site, meant to address the needs of policymakers, is run by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD).

Does your country wish to host the next World Water Forum in March 2012? Express your interest now as the bidding process has been launched by the WWC. For the next edition of the World Water Forum, the Government of any country, in collaboration with a city, are invited to demonstrate its capacity to organise such an important event. In order to be considered for the next steps in the bidding procedure, a preliminary expression of interest should be received by the WWC Headquarters in Marseille by 1 June 2008. It must be presented or endorsed by a representative of the central Government of the country concerned, at the highest possible level. To read the full announcement, go to www.worldwatercouncil.org.
Or contact the forum coordinator at d.gaillard@worldwatercouncil.org

The Cambridge Centre for Landscape and People is launching this year with Co@st its first summer course on natural and cultural heritage of coastal zones from July 28 to August 1st. The course offers a novel approach to the analysis, evaluation, mapping, planning and management of world coastlines with the view to preserving their natural and cultural values, including their landscapes, beauty, ecosystems and services. It is sponsored by several parties, including the University of Cambridge, The Coastal Management Centre, Sapienza Universita Di Roma, the Priority Action Programme (PAP) /RAC and the UNEP/MAP. The deadline for registration is 20th May 2008. To register, visit: http://www.cclp.group.cam.ac.uk/courses.html

Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety opened on May 12, 2008 their fourth meeting in Bonn, Germany. More than 3000 participants from 147 countries assembled in an attempt to ensure the safe use of modern biotechnology, including reaching an agreement on international rules on liability and redress for potential damages caused by LMOs. The meeting will continue until May 16, 2008. To read more, visit: http://www.cbd.int

The National Geographic and Global Scan released a new international study that focuses on consumers' progress as regards environmentally sustainable consumption. The study tackles both the attitudes and actual behaviors in 14 countries. To look at the study, click: http://event.nationalgeographic.com/greendex/

The Expo Zaragoza 2008 – the international fair of “Water and Sustainable Development” – is to start on June 14. The exhibition has 140 pavilions for the participants, including countries, autonomous regions, companies and organizations. It will host 4,529 different shows in 13 different venues during the 93 days of the event. Added to this figure are more than 1,000 performances that comprise the participating countries’ cultural programme. More than 36,000 people have shown their support to the fair by signing up for the Volunteer Programme. Of these, 66% are European, 26% are from the Americas, 3% are Asian, 3% are from Oceania and 2% are from Africa. Fore more information, visit : http://www.expozaragoza2008.es/Home/seccion=3&seccionRaiz=3&
seccionDesplegar=3&idioma=en_GB.do

The Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change (CMCC), a new Italian non-profit research institution supported by governmental and academic institutions, welcomes applications to the Marie Curie Fellowship in its fields of research.
The institute research fields comprise Global ocean and climate, climate and chemistry, aerosols and effects, predictions and scenarios of GHG emissions. They also include of the economic value of impacts of climate change, analysis of mitigation and adaptation policies, impact on soil and coasts, and impact agriculture, forest, and natural ecosystems. The Marie Curie fellowship has a significant overall budget of more than € 4,7 billion over a seven year period until 2013. The deadline to apply for the fellowship is 15 August 2008. For more information, visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/people/home_en.html

The Spring 2008 SMAP Bulletin is now available for download in English, French and Arabic.

To download the English version: http://www.smap.eu/DOC/Bulletins/SMAP_Bulletin_22_EN.pdf
To download the French version: http://www.smap.eu/DOC/Bulletins/SMAP_Bulletin_22_FR.pdf
To download the Arabic version: http://www.smap.eu/DOC/Bulletins/SMAP_Bulletin_22_AR.pdf

You'll find an interview with Dr Klaus Ebermann, EC Ambassador to Egypt, on EU support for the environment in the Mediterranean region - a massive 460 million euros for ongoing projects! Plus, there's an in-depth article on the SMAP III project in Lebanon (IMAC), coverage of the recent SMAP III Regional Workshop in Turkey and much, much more.

The SMAP III TA team hopes you will enjoy this edition and welcomes any feedback, comments and suggestions you might have.

The EU’s Neighborhood Investment Facility (NIF) will be formally launched on May 6th by External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, representatives of EU Member States and ENP partner countries. The NIF is a key instrument of the ENP and will mobilize additional funding for infrastructure projects mainly in the energy, transport and environment sectors in the entire area. The Commission has already made available €100 out of the €700 million it intends to allocate to the NIF for the period 2007-2013. For more, go to http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.168.news.en.3755.html?PHPSESSID=909ea605488e7570c71012e3ed3448bd

The second annual Middle East Waste & Water Congress will be held in the UAE on May 26, 27. The congress entitled: "Moving forward with the advances in waste and water technologies for a more secured future and environment" will serve as a platform for various organisations in the wide spectrum of environmental resource management to achieve new standards of sustainability. The congress will also serve as an ideal platform for professionals from the waste and water industry to meet, network and exchange ideas for the improvement of these 2 major sectors in the Middle East. For more information on how to register and exhibit, please visit http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/events/sev556504

Water Alternatives is a new interdisciplinary scientific e-journal on Water, Politics and Development. The e-journal welcomes contributions that address any dimension of water resources development, management and use, and their relations with society and the environment. Its ambition is to provide space for alternative and critical thinking and to associate high scholarly quality with accessibility to a wide readership. The first issue of Water Alternatives will be published on the 1st of June 2008. Access to articles in the journal will be free. Potential subscribers may already register in order to receive alerts and to submit your contributions. For more information, visit: http://www.water-alternatives.org or
http://www.unesco.org/water/news/newsletter/203.shtml#news_3

Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is pleased to invite the public to attend presentations of design scenarios for the proposed Jordan River Peace Park.

The designs will be prepared at an international architectural design workshop organized by FoEME and led by Yale University with the participation of architectural teams from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Territories.

The public is also invited to present recommendations of the pre-feasibility study and business plan for the proposed Jordan River Peace Park. The presentations will take place on May 15 at the Wild Jordan Center in Amman and on May 19 at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem. For more information, visit: http://www.foeme.org/events.php?ind=45

The General Water Authority (GWA) of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya and UNESCO will organize, in partnership with the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), an international conference on "Managing Shared Aquifer Resources in Africa" on 25-27 May 2008 in Tripoli, Libya. For more information, go to http://www.oss-online.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=585&Itemid=643

With the rise in the prices of wheat, corn and rice along with other crops, the globe earmarked this year for potato, a main food crop. The world produced in 2007 some 320 million tons. On this occasion, a lot of events will be held to celebrate the biodiversity of potatoes and its production all-over the world as of May until August 2008. The events will be held in the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. To learn more about the "Potato" events or to announce yours, visit the following related FAO website: http://www.potato2008.org/en/events/index.html

PAP/RAC, together with its partners (the BP/RAC and METAP of the World Bank), is organising a Mediterranean Workshop on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Policy in Alghero, Sardinia on 19-21 May 2008.
The workshop will be held within the context of the EU-funded SMAP III TA project which focuses on promoting integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) and sustainable development within the Mediterranean region. Among the participants are Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Hasnaa of Morocco, Mr. Renato Soru, President of the Sardinia Region, Mr. Chérif Rahmani, Minister of Environment of Algeria, and Mr. Mostafa K. Tolba, Former Executive Director of UNEP. To learn more about the workshop, click: http://www.pap-thecoastcentre.org/itl_news.php?lang=en

A new World Bank-IMF report warns that most countries will fall short on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), a set of eight globally agreed development goals with a due date of 2015. Though much of the world is set to cut extreme poverty in half by then, prospects are gravest for the goals of reducing child and maternal mortality. Serious shortfalls also likely in primary school completion, nutrition, and sanitation goals. The report also stresses the link between environment and development and calls for urgent action on climate change. To build on hard-won gains, developing countries need support to address the links between growth, development and environmental sustainability. To read the report, click: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTDEC/EXTGLOBALMONITOR/EXTGLOMONREP2008/
0,,menuPK:4738069~pagePK:64168427~piPK:64168435~theSitePK:4738057,00.html

A new database is available on the Euromed Audiovisual II Programme’s website, providing contact details of key public and private organisations as well as professionals operating in the MEDA region's audiovisual industry.
The directory contains some 1,670 contacts and has been divided into the following 15 categories: Authors, Directors, Distributors, Education, Exhibition, Festivals & Markets, Media, Others, Participants in Euromed Activities, Production, Professional Associations, Public Institutions, Sales and Television. Information is searchable by country, category or contact name. The database is a useful tool to learn about media contacts in the area, interested in Euromed cooperation. You can have access to it on: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.169.news.en.3692.html

A new Eco-innovation Call for 2008 by Life Programme is open as of April 21 to all legal persons based in 27 EU Member States, Israel and Turkey. Applications from SMEs are particularly encouraged. The total financial resources available are to the tune of 28 million euros and the deadline for submission of proposals is September 11, 2008. This year's Call focuses on Eco-friendly materials recycling, buildings, food & drink, greening business & smart purchasing. LIFE is the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental and nature conservation projects throughout the EU, as well as in some candidate, acceding and neighbouring countries. For further information see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/etap/ecoinnovation/funding_en.htm

A new training manual and resource kit inform media practitioners about how to examine sustainable development priorities and the best ways to respond. The manual, published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Thomson Foundation, has three sections. The first part covers issues on climate change, forests and fisheries, fresh water, biodiversity and pollution; the second is on the idea of sustainable development; and the last section takes a glimpse into the future, imagining what people would have to give up to accelerate gains for “sustainable” living. A DVD containing films and audio clips and a CD-ROM of information resources is also included. To learn more visit: www.unesco.org/webworld/en/media-partners-education

CREAM, an EC-funded initiative in Turkey to promote Public Private Partnerships, is holding a conference in Ankara on 29 April entitled MasterPPPlan Turkey 2008. Turkey, like many countries in the region, is making the transformation from a centrally planned or mixed economy to market-based economy, and attempting to devise effective regulations to manage and govern this change. This is especially important in the critical areas of infrastructure service delivery and public/private utilities management in the energy, water, transportation etc., sectors where sustainability is particularly important. PPPs have been much discussed in the SMAP III TA activities with BusinessMed (regional) and Sustainable Banking (Lebanon).
For full information about the conference, please visit: http://www.cream-europe.eu/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=104

The Marine Environment Protection (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) at its 57th Session (in London from 31st March – 4th April 2008), has adopted an MEPC resolution establishing the date on which the MARPOL Annex V (Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Garbage from Ships) special area regulations shall take effect in the Mediterranean Sea.

MEPC decided that the discharge requirements for special areas of MARPOL Annex V shall take effect, for the Mediterranean Sea, on 1st May 2009. Consequently, for all ships, as from 1st May 2009, disposal into the Mediterranean Sea of the following is prohibited: all plastics, including but not limited to synthetic ropes, synthetic fishing nets and plastic garbage bags; and all other garbage, including paper products, rags, glass metal, bottles, crockery, dunnage, lining and packing materials.

The adoption of the resolution follows the notification at the same MEPC session by Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey, representing States bordering the Mediterranean Sea special area, that adequate reception facilities for garbage are provided in all the relevant ports within the region. For more information, click: http://www.unepmap.org/index.php?module=news&action=detail&id=32

The second meeting of the MEDA water regional programme will be held in Marrakech from April 28 to 30. The meeting will discuss the impact and results of various projects. Organisations from Mediterranean Partner Countries not participating in the MEDA Water Projects but falling within the scope of the workshops, will be invited to present their experiences. The MEDA Water Programme, funded through the EU’s Regional Programme, got underway in 2003 with a €40 million budget. For more information, visit: http://www.medawater-rmsu.org/meetings/2nd_MWP_conference.htm

Established four years ago during the third Session of the World Conservation Congress in Thailand, the award will go to a conservation professional with outstanding contributions to conservation of nature and natural resources. The winner will be announced at the upcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona, 5-14 October. The deadline is 30 June 2008. For more information, visit: http://cms.iucn.org/news_events/events/congress/index.cfm?uNewsID=805

If the EU does not take urgent action against the lack of water in the Mediterranean region, the agriculture sector of the area will disappear in a few years causing a chain reaction that will increase the impact of climate change in the whole of Europe. This was one of the main conclusions of the public hearing organised on April 16 by Member of European Parliament Cristina Gutiérrez-Cortines. The hearing tried to find ways on how to cope with the scarcity of water resources in the context of global warming, with the support of the European Water Forum and the Europe Near East Forum. Gutiérrez-Cortines called for "urgent measures" to be taken at EU level because "a decrease or withdrawal of agriculture activities due to the lack of water will reduce the EU's capacity to produce quality foodstuffs - fruit, vegetables, wine, olive oil - and will weaken it's capacity to absorb CO2 emissions due the disappearance of the green cover of the Mediterranean region". For more, visit: http://www.epp-ed.eu/Press/showpr.asp?PRControlDocTypeID=1&PRControlID=7301&PRContentID=12747&PRContentLG=en

The Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP) will hold its fourth conference in Tunis on May 5. The conference, entitled "Microfinance in the Mediterranean: What impact?" is organized by the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Sanabel, the network of Arab microfinance institutions. The topic of the meeting is seen as a priority sector for economic development and growth as well as for active solidarity in the region. This FEMIP Conference will take place on 5 May and will precede the 5th Annual Conference of Sanabel to be held from 6-8 May in Tunis. For more information, visit: http://www.eib.org/projects/events/4th-femip-conference,-tunis.htm

The ninth international conference on dry land development will be held in Alexandria, Egypt, from November 7 to 10, 2008. The conference titled "Sustainable Development in the Drylands - Meeting the Challenge of Global Climate Change" is organized by the International Dryland Development Commission (IDDC) and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. The participants will examine the probable impact of global climate change on the natural resources and the agricultural productivity of dry area ecosystems. They will also exchange information and possible ways to enhance the resilience of these systems through adaptation and mitigation strategies. The conference, is sponsored by the Arid Land Research Center (ALRC) of Tottori University, Japan; the Agricultural Research Center (ARC) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Egypt; the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing, China; the Desert Research Institute (DRI), Nevada, USA; the FAO; the ICARDA; the Japanese Agency for International Cooperation (JAICA); Japan's International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS); the UNESCO; the UNCCD; and other national and international organizations. To participate, visit: http://www.icarda.org/Announcement/2008/9th-IDDC/9th-IDDC_FirstAnn.htm

Algeria will host the 4th edition of the international exhibition of equipment and services for water (SIEE Pollutec, "rendez-vous") from 19 to 22 May 2008. SIEE Pollutec 2008 SIEE is organized by Reed Exhibitions France and Mediaedge, in partnership with the Algerian Ministry of Water Resources. More than 4000 people are expected to participate in the exhibition, which will gather for the 4th consecutive year Algerian decision makers in the water sector, agencies and state enterprises as well as major international operators, equipment suppliers and service providers in the areas of water treatment, wastewater treatment, water supply, the treatment of industrial pollution, analysis, measurement, control and irrigation. For more information, visit: http://www.siee-pollutec.com/en/index.php

The second international conference on integrated coastal management in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea will be held in Akyaka, Turkey, from October 14 to 18, 2008.
The conference is organized by the Ankara-based MEDCOAST which aims to contribute to coastal and marine conservation in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea through improved coastal management practices. Submission of abstracts is open until May 31, 2008. For more information about the conference, visit: http://www.medcoast.org.tr

The Dean of the Mass Communication Faculty at Cairo University announced organizing a week for environmental causes from 13 to 17 April 2008. The students will participate in face-lifting the building of the faculty and planting trees in the campus during the week, the dean said. Among other activities, a lecture and a book exhibition will be held with the aim of raising environmental awareness. To read the story in Arabic, click: http://www.ahram.org.eg/Index.asp?CurFN=nday5.htm&DID=9547

A newly-released study assessed the possibility of preventing pollution in the Mediterranean through investments addressing hot spots. The study, launched by the European Investment Bank (EIB), refers to the need for a Mediterranean Hot Spot investment programme (MeHSIP) and identifies 44 bankable projects under the MeHSIP. The MeHSIP programme, according to the study, aims to support the Horizon 2020 initiative and its partner countries covered by the European Neighborhood Policy (ENP), namely, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine Authority, Syria and Tunisia. For more information, visit: http://smap.ew.eea.europa.eu/news/horizon-2020-final-report-elaboration

Youth from countries north the Mediterranean and Turkey are invited to apply for a 10-day training course on environment in the Mediterranean on a sailboat in July 2008. The course, held under the title "Protecting the Mediterranean environment: youth can make the difference!" is organized by SALTO-YOUTH EuroMed Resource Centre and the national agencies for Youth in Action Programme from Greece and Cyprus. The deadline for applying is the 3rd of May 2008. For more information, click: http://www.salto-youth.net/Euromedenvironment

Algeria surpassed the United Nations millennium goals in the sector of water development, said a report by the Algerian al-Massa newspaper. The government's support for the drinking water sector will even increase by 2009 when it receives several ground establishments that would help improve production capacity and per capita quota, the report quoted government sources as saying. For more information, read the following article: http://www.el-massa.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5150&Itemid=41

Dubai Industrial City, a member of Tatweer, and the region's premier destination for the manufacturing sector, highlighted its best practices in the field of quality, health, safety and the environment (QHSE), along with the Kuwaiti-based National Projects Holding Company, at the Kuwait Waste Management Conference and Exhibition 2008, the region's largest gathering of government, municipal and private sector professionals.

Held under the patronage of Moussa Hussein Al-Sarraf, Kuwait's Minister of Public Works and State Minister of Municipal Affairs, the event, from 7-9 April, served as a platform for leading waste management professionals from Kuwait, KSA, UAE, Libya, Oman, Sudan and USA to exchange ideas and information on international waste and recycling methods.

For more information, visit: http://www.wam.org.ae/servlet/Satellite?c=WamLocEnews&cid=1200074031639&p=1135099400295&pagename=WAM%2FWamLocEnews%2FW-T-LEN-FullNews

Israel hosted the 2nd OECD Workshop on Sustainable Materials Management in Tel Aviv from April 7 to 9, 2008. It will be followed by the 11th Meeting of the OECD Working Group on Waste Prevention and Recycling on April 10 and 11. The meetings, held in the Dan Panorama Hotel in Tel Aviv, provided Israel with an opportunity to showcase its environmental activities in these fields, while learning from the experience of others. For more, visit: http://www.environment.gov.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Object&enDispWho=News^l4017&enZone=e_news

A Euromed Ministerial Conference on water will be organized in Jordan the 29 October 2008 under the French Presidency of the European Union and the Euro Mediterranean Partnership.
The meeting follows a proposal by the last conference of the water directors of the Euro-Mediterranean and Southeastern European countries held in Bled (Slovenia), in December 2007. The Euromed ministers will aim in Jordan to prepare a long-term strategy on water in the region. Also, to involve all stakeholders, a day dedicated to civil society will be held on the eve of the ministerial conference.
Further information is available on: http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/events/sev786321

The first formal talks meant to replace the Kyoto climate change pact will continue in Thailand until April 4, 2008 with the aim of defeating the phenomenon of global warming.
Speaking to 1000 delegates from 163 countries via a video address, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said "the world is waiting for a solution that is long-term and economically viable".
The five-day round of talks comes after an agreement in Bali last year to start talks in order to replace Kyoto that binds 37 countries to cut gas emissions by an average of five percent by 2012.
To read the article, visit: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=26149&Cr=climate&Cr1=change

A capacity building workshop on “Energy Efficient Buildings and Green Cities: Success Factors and Policy/Planning Tools”, will be held in Jordan, on April 16-17. The workshop is organized by the EU-funded project Euro-Mediterranean Co-operation in the Energy Sector (MED-ENEC). Expert participants from both shores of the Mediterranean will outline their views and experiences on the integration of energy efficiency in buildings and urban planning. For more information, visit: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.169.news.en.3503.html

The EuroMed Info Centre, an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project on the European and Mediterranean partnership, highlighted in a new feature story the role of cooperation between the public and private sector in building sustainable energy projects in Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia. The feature entitled “Cooperation boosts sustainable energy development - Public-private sector projects the key to the progress in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia” is available in English, French and Arabic. To read it, visit: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.361.news.en.2726.html

The continued dumping of untreated or partially treated sewage into rivers and streams is the number one source of dangerous pollution in Israel, a report by the Humanitarian News and Analysis network IRIN, an affiliate of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, quoted the Ministry for Environmental protection as saying.

Municipalities are responsible for sewage treatment, but high costs of treating sewage and building new treatment plants have prompted many local councils to dump the sewage wherever they can, ministry officials added.

In 2007 alone, over 40 Israeli beaches were contaminated due to overflow of sewage systems, harming delicate marine life in places like Eilat on the Red Sea.

The River Jordan, mentioned in the Bible and considered by many a holy site, has also not escaped pollution. “Sewage that has only undergone basic treatment is dumped into the southern Jordan river turning it into a sewage pipe,” said Hillel Glasman of the Israeli Parks and Nature Reserves Authority.
For more information, visit http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77514

Jordan's Princess Sumaya University for Technology launched a master's degree in environmental technology recently. The curriculum announced aims at ameliorating the environmental performance in Jordan and bridging the gap between economy and environment. To read more, visit: http://www.sdnp.jo/NewsShow.aspx?newsId=458
or visit the university's website: http://www.psut.edu.jo

The First African Water Week (AWW-1), convened under the theme of ‘Accelerating Water Security for the Socio-Economic Development of Africa’, in Tunis from 26-28 March 2008. The meeting’s three objectives were to provide a forum for key actors in Africa’s water sector to discuss the opportunities and challenges of achieving water security, take stock of the status of the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and make recommendations for consideration by the 2008 African Union (AU) and G8 summits, and the 2009 Fifth World Water Forum (WWF-5). Over 540 people participated, including 30 ministers. The Ministerial Declaration on Accelerating Water Security for Africa’s Socioeconomic Development is available on the following website: http://www.afdb.org/portal/page?_pageid=473,969995&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

The UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) community is still looking for doable approaches in implementing ESD. Considerable progress has been achieved in developing an ESD indicator framework at the national level, e.g. Asia-Pacific Guidelines for the Development of National ESD Indicators. But concepts focused on integrative thinking in order to prepare students by real life situations for a sustainable future are still lacking. A survey was prepared to help the DESD community. To participate, visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Pz65qJJSmxiKIFOCGDrYgQ_3d_3d

A joint document by the European Commission (EC) and the United Nations Environment programme (UNEP) was added to the UNEP website recently, The document, which was originally distributed by the European Commission at the 10th Special Session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum in the Principality of Monaco in February 2008, highlights EC-UNEP activities on issues related to international environmental governance, sustainable consumption and production, global management of chemicals, protecting the natural environment and biodiversity, and water and sanitation.
It also discusses collaboration between the EC and UNEP at the regional level including: working in the developing world, working in the Mediterranean, working in Europe and post-conflict environmental actions. To read the document, download: http://www.unep.org/pdf/2008-01_EC&UNEPlight.pdf

The Euro-Mediterranean Information System on the know-how in the Water Sector (EMWIS) released its monthly flash for February 2008. The flash include information on launching new websites for the system in Lebanon and Morocco as well as the water legislations in Israel, a new internet site concerning the Geographic Information System in Egypt, and the inauguration of the biggest desalination station in Africa in Algeria.
For more, read the flash on: http://www.emwis.net/thematicdirs/eflash/flash56

The Centre of Ecological Initiatives (Mediterrania CIE) and Mediterranean Information Office for Environment Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE) are calling for entries for the 8th Mediterranean Honorific Award. The award is addressed to innovative projects relating to the environment and sustainable development. The award is open to all those organizations in the Mediterranean region working for the protection of the environment, culture and sustainable development issues. Deadline for submitting entries in English is April 15, 2008. To read the details, visit: http://www.medies.net/article.php?story=20080320081510287

The 4th International Conference on Environment Education, that was held in Ahmed Abad, India, from 24 to 28 November 2007 published its recommendations on the internet. The conference was held under the auspices of the Government of India, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the participation of 1500 people from 97 countries. The recommendations, published in English, French, Spanish and Japanese, affirmed the need to change thinking related to environmental education, environment-development relationship, encouraging systematic thinking skills. For more information, visit the conference’s website: http://www.tbilisiplus30.org/Recommendations%202007.html

Zurich-based SwissRe, a leading global reinsurer, is inviting candidates to apply for its international ReSource award on sustainable watershed management. The Award worth USD 150 000 is an internationally recognized prize for leadership in implementing the principles of sustainability in watershed management, and is granted to one or several projects selected by an international jury.
The prize money is open to NGOs, private, scientific and public institutions. The deadline is 31 May 2009. For more, visit: www.swissre.com/resource

Young people up to 25 years old from around the world are invited to enter the 2008 International Essay Contest organized by UNESCO and the Goi Peace Foundation with the sponsorship of the Earthrise Society.

The theme for this year's contest is "My project to create positive change in my environment. How can I foster sustainable development in my community?". The essay should be written in English, French, German or Spanish.

The deadline for entry is June 30, 2008. First prize winners will receive a cash award and a trip to Japan. Please see the complete guidelines at the Goi Peace Foundation website: http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0801_00.htm
To read winning essays from last year's contest, go to
http://www.goipeace.or.jp/english/activities/programs/0702.htm

The Integrated Management of East Mediterranean Coastlines (IMAC) project in Lebanon, funded by the SMAP III TA programme, launched its new website. The website, available in English, contains information about the project, its activities and news, and a study assessing the institutional and legal setting for coastal zone in Lebanon. It also gives details on a new workshop on IMAC's strategy development, to be held on March 19, 20 in Lebanon. The workshop agenda is available in both English and Arabic. To access to the website, click: www.balamand.edu.lb/ioe/mrczm/imac

A Coastal Cities Summit will be held in St. Petersburg, Florida, on November 17-20, 2008, to address the complex challenges that coastal city leaders face with more than 40 percent of the world population live in coastal zones.

The Coastal Cities Summit, organized by The International Ocean Institute-USA in collaboration with the city of St. Petersburg, intends to bring together coastal city leaders, managers and academics to discuss environmental, social, economic, and public policy challenges and viable solutions.

The conference will focus on three themes: Climate Change, Risk and Vulnerability, and Sustainable Development. Full details are available at www.coastalcities.org.

Applications are open by the European neighborhood Policy for a regional project on "Civil Society" with a budget to the tune of 1.8 million euro. The programme aims at strengthening the institutional capacity of Southern Mediterranean civil society, in order to promote dialogue within civil society and between civil society and public institutions in the fields of environment, social issues, migration and the right of association. The deadline for submitting applications is 25/04/2008. For more, visit: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/tender/data/d70/AOF82870.htm
Or http://smap.ew.eea.europa.eu/news/europeaid-has-published-call-tender-regional

The European Council has approved the principle of a Union for the Mediterranean which will include the Member States of the EU and the non-EU Mediterranean coastal states. In a statement annexed to their conclusions, the EU leaders invited the Commission ‘to present to the Council the necessary proposals for defining the modalities of what will be called "Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean" with a view to a Summit which will take place in Paris on 13 July 2008.’

According to a Council press release, this initiative should deepen the existing Euro-Mediterranean Partnership between Member States and third countries in the Mediterranean basin (the so-called Barcelona Process). The renewed partnership, it says, will be financed by the funds currently set aside in the EU budget for support to partner states in the Mediterranean.

For more, visit: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.168.news.en.3407.html

The rise in sea levels due to global warming threatens Egypt’s densely populated coastal strip and could have grave consequences for the country’s economy, agriculture and industry, said a report by the Humanitarian News and Analysis network IRIN, an affiliate of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Combined with growing demographic pressures, a rise in sea levels could turn millions of Egyptians into environmental refugees by the end of the century, according to climate experts, the report quoted climate experts as saying. The report shed the light on the probability of water submerging cities on the sea coast and in the Nile Delta, such as Alexandria, Port Said, Damietta, Rashid and Suez by 2050. It also included contradictory opinions by scientists on the feasibility of the government preparing a contingency plan soon. For more, visit: http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?ReportID=77240

The Department of Nuclear, Technological and Industrial Risk at the Agency for Environmental Protection and Technical Services (APAT) of Italy hosts on May 14 – 16, a workshop on the frequent cases of denial of shipment of radioactive material, even if prepared fully in compliance with the regulation in nuclear matters.
The workshop, held in Rome on behalf of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will look into the adverse effects of the denial or delay of radioactive material shipment, including medical treatment and diagnoses, sterilization of health care products, scientific research and development, and usage in nuclear power production. The workshop is expected to stimulate the discussion among the experts with a view to better understand the reasons and the implications associated with the denial or delay of shipment and to identify measures suitable to reduce or prevent such phenomena. A major objective of the workshop consists in setting the basis for establishing a database to track denial of shipment incidents. Registration is open until April 4th. For more, visit http://www.apat.gov.it/site/en-GB/default.html

Key data on the wealth and vulnerability of the Mediterranean’s biodiversity and on the growth of protected areas designed to reduce the loss of habitat, a key cause of loss of biodiversity, is presented in a new publication prepared by the EuropeAid-funded regional MEDSTAT II programme.

The Mediterranean region: a showcase of biodiversity, is part of the Eurostat collection "Statistics in focus", that are short topical publications presenting key data and limited analysis on a specific theme. It is available in English, French and Arabic.

The Mediterranean region is regarded as one of planet Earths 25 hotspots, embracing some of the world's most unique bio-geographical areas and harbouring outstanding biological diversity.

MEDSTAT II, funded by EuropeAid’s Regional Programme, aims at strengthening the capacity of the partner countries’ National Statistics Institutes and each country’s own National Statistical System in order to provide updated, timely, reliable and relevant high-quality statistical data necessary for political decision-making and to ensure good governance. Download the publication: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-08-012/EN/KS-SF-08-012-EN.PDF

A crumbling sewage system in the city of Zarqa, 30 km east of Amman, could trigger the spread of diseases on a large scale, The Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), an offshoot of the UN office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, quoted local officials as saying. For more on Jordan and different environment issues in the Middle East, visit: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=77103

A new Book entitled "Globalization and Environmental Challenges: Reconceptualizing Security in the 21st Century" was released by the organization of Peace Research and European Security Studies (AFES-PRESS) in Germany. The Book, edited by a number of scholars from all-around the world, includes chapters by scholars from Tunisia and Egypt and chapters on the Mediterranean. The book tackles the twin impacts of globalization and environmental degradation on security, as Professor Klaus Topfer, former UNEP executive director, put it. For more, visit: http://www.afes-press-books.de/html/hexagon_03.htm

The fourth international conference on the Water Resources in the Mediterranean Basin (WATMED 4) will meet in Algiers on March 22, 2008. The three-day event will review and compare the state of water resources in the Mediterranean basin and try to reconcile between scarcity, quality, durability of resources, Interrelationships between global change, drought and desertification. The conference is organized by the Laboratory for Research Sciences of Water (IRS-eau) in coordination with the Polytechnic National School (ENP). For more, download: http://www.idrc.ca/uploads/user-S/11705974791watmed4_1stannouncement.pdf

French President Nicloas Sarkozy initiated a call for creating a union for the Mediterranean. Could his call be transformed into a reality? And if yes, then how? These are some of the questions that a forum organized by the UNESCO in Paris will try to answer on March 28-30. For more, visit: http://www.forumdeparis.org/in-english/topic-2008

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Year Book 2008 has been released. It highlights the increasing complexity and interconnections of climate change, ecosystem integrity, human well-being, and economic development, in all regions in the world including the Mediterranean area. It also examines the emergence and influence of economic mechanisms and market driven approaches for addressing environmental degradation, and it describes recent research findings and policy decisions that affect our awareness of and response to changes in our global climate and environment. To download, click:
http://www.unep.org/geo/yearbook/yb2008/report/UNEP_YearBook2008_Full_EN.pdf

The UN Secretary-General’s Report on Africa for the sixteenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development has recently been released. The report is available for downloading at: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd16/documents/sgreport_8.pdf

The European Investment Bank (EIB) will host in Berlin on March, 6 2008 the world’s largest tourism fair, a ministerial conference on the development of sustainable tourism in the Mediterranean focusing on economic and environmental challenges. For more, visit: http://www.eib.org/projects/events/3rd-femip-conference,-berlin.htm

The EU is providing €7.44 million to five new projects to help revitalise the agricultural sector in the occupied Palestinian Territory. The aim is to back the effort to promote sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimension. To read more, visit: http://www.euromedinfo.eu/site.170.news.en.3122.html

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) in Japan released an upgraded version of "CDM in Charts" in February 2008. To download, click http://www.iges.or.jp/en/cdm/pdf/charts.pdf

CAIRO, February 25, 2008 - H.E. Eng. Maged George, Minister of State for Environmental Affairs, and H.E. Dr. Klaus Ebermann, the ambassador of the European Union Delegation in Cairo, will inaugurate a conference bringing representatives from the civil society and donors to look into funding environment-related projects in Cairo next Wednesday.

The event, organized by EU-funded SMAP III TA, starts at 12:00 O'clock in Sofitel Maadi Hotel on Wednesday, Feb. 27.

NGOs from the Cairo area will present 11 projects to improve the environmental situation in areas, such as Helwan, el-Masara, Monshaet Nasser and Doweka. Representatives from the World Bank, European Investment Bank, the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) are also amongst the participants at the meeting.

Cairo, 16 Feb 2008: A three-day regional workshop on Sustainable Tourism and Coastal Zone Management opens in Istanbul Tuesday, with the participation of more than 100 people from the Mediterranean area and the European Commission.

Tourism contributes to around 25% of the region’s income (GDP) on average and in some cases it is significantly more. Much of this tourism is concentrated in coastal areas and areas of particular natural beauty, all of which are particularly vulnerable to degradation caused by human activities.

The risk – and it is already being seen in some areas – is that tourism destroys the