The second Ministerial Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean on Water took place today at the Foreign Ministry, hosted by Italy under the co-Presidency of Jordan and the European Commission. The meeting brought together 40 delegations from the Member States of the Union for the Mediterranean, thus reaffirming water as one of the priorities for regional cooperation, against a backdrop of growing water scarcity, climate change and pressure on natural resources.
During the Ministerial Meeting, the Declaration on Water was adopted, emphasising the need to strengthen regional solidarity, cross-border cooperation and the commitment to sustainable access to drinking water and sanitation. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani underlined: “Water can become a concrete basis for trust, solidarity and cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean.” He also emphasised that water security is a shared responsibility and an essential element for the stability and prosperity of the region.
The meeting also laid the foundations for following up on political commitments through the Rome Initiative, with the aim of strengthening the skills and expertise of public administrations, fostering the drawing up and funding of sustainable projects, and promoting the sharing of experiences and best practices amongst Mediterranean countries. The Ministerial Meeting precedes the first Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, which opens tomorrow in Rome and will run until 2 October, thus providing an opportunity for multilateral and multi-stakeholder dialogue to turn policy guidelines into concrete initiatives and partnerships.
