CITpax Conference on Water: "Water in the Middle East: Conflict or Cooperation?"

This seminar will examine how water has been a source of conflict, and how it can
become a current for peace in the Middle East. Water scarcity has always been a serious
question of national and regional security, more so in the last years with the growth of
population and affects of "global warming" – this calls for the issue to be treated and
converted into a broader issue of cooperation across the region. The seminar will
advance the notion that within its Neighbourhood Policy around the Mediterranean, the
EU can play a positive role in contributing to reduce the scarcity through a variety of
means including desalination of sea water, efficient water use, water sanitation and
encouraging collaboration between regional actors in the Middle East. By doing so
through collaboration with the region's peoples, the EU will enhance security and
stability in the region. The seminar will examine a success case and a more difficult
scenario in order to establish which venues would be most amenable to regional
cooperation. Through this approach, this meeting intends to begin a practical process of
renewing cooperative regional measures on the water issues, including the identification
of the next steps to be taken for development in the Middle East.