SWIM-SM Workshop on Sustainable Use of Non-Conventional Water Resources, 16 September 2011, in Athens - Greece

Sustainable management of non-conventional water resources is among the priority themes of SWIM-SM. The use of non-conventional waters is already applied in many countries of the region, primarily through reuse of treated and untreated waste water including recycling of agricultural run-off, rainwater harvesting, desalination, etc, with a range of challenges and opportunities related to these.

A SWIM-SM Workshop was organized on 16 September 2011 in Athens, Greece, back-to-back with the Regional Conference on Advancing Non-Conventional Water Resources Management in the Mediterranean with the aim to:

- Provide a briefing on SWIM-SM regional priorities in relation to the non-conventional agenda and contribute as a brainstorming meeting on the related parts of the upcoming SWIM-SM Inception Report.

- Discuss SWIM-SM regional priorities on wastewater reuse as a key issue in the non-conventional agenda.

- Discussing SWIM-SM regional priorities on desalination with emphasis on the possible formation of an Expert Group on Sustainable Desalination within SWIM-SM.

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Sustainable Water Integrated Management (SWIM) is a Regional Technical Assistance Programme launched by the European Commission to contribute to the extensive dissemination and effective implementation of sustainable water management policies and practices in the Southern Mediterranean Region.

This is in the context of increasing water scarcity, combined pressures on water resources from a wide range of users, desertification processes and in connection with climate change.

The Programme, with a total budget of approximately € 22 million, is implemented under the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), following the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conferences on Environment (Cairo, 2006) and Water (Dead Sea, 2008) and carries forward the results achieved by two earlier EC regional programmes, SMAP (I, II and III) and MEDA Water.

SWIM consists of two major Components, which are inter-related and complement each other:
•  A Support Mechanism funded with a budget of € 6.7 million and
•  Demonstration Projects funded with a budget of € 15 million

SWIM OBJECTIVES

Both Components contribute to the achievement of the Programme's specific objectives that consist of:

• Drawing the attention of Partner Countries' decision-makers and stakeholders on existing and emerging threats to water resources, on the necessity to adopt a more appropriate water consumption and water use model, as well as on the existence of solutions to tackle the problem;

• Supporting Partner Countries in designing and implementing sustainable water management policies at the national and local levels, in liaison with existing international initiatives in the area concerned;

• Contributing to ensuring institutional reinforcement and the development of the necessary planning and management skills and facilitate the transfer of know-how;

• Enhancing regional cooperation in the areas of sustainable and integrated management of water resources through institutional strengthening, inter-sector dialogue, awareness raising, capacity building and stakeholder consultation and participation.

SWIM Partner Countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territory, Syria and Tunisia.