The 5th edition of the Mediterranean Water Forum will take place from February 5 to 7 in Tunis, organized by the National Company for the Exploitation and Distribution of Water (SONEDE) and the Mediterranean Institute of Water (IME).
Under the auspices of the World Water Council and the Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean, under the theme « Together for Shared Water Moderation, » this forum represents a key stage in the preparatory process for the World Water Forum scheduled for May 18 to 24, 2024, in Bali, Indonesia.
This gathering aims to be a platform for the exchange and consolidation of knowledge and experiences in the field of water in the Mediterranean, providing innovative solutions and responses while considering the drought situation prevailing in the Mediterranean region for several years, according to the organizers.
The objective is to bring together key players in the Mediterranean water community and provide innovative solutions for evolving water needs, establishing a conducive dialogue environment for the development of a fair strategy for sustainable water resource management in the Mediterranean.
This forum intends to contribute to making water a global, regional, and national political priority.
The last edition of the Mediterranean Water Forum took place in Malta in 2021, focusing on « Water Management in the Mediterranean Region: Challenges and Opportunities. »
Currently, the available national water resources represent only 420 m3 per year per inhabitant, making Tunisia one of the countries in the world facing water stress, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Hydraulic Resources, and Fisheries. National water demand is expected to increase by 38% in 2050, according to the same source, while water resources are projected to continue decreasing, resulting in a deficit of 28%.