For the first time a sustainable development aid theme was added this year to the traditional “Med Dialogues” conference on the Mediterranean which opens this afternoon. It concerns the use and management of water due to its value as a strategic economic asset, and the fact it is scarce and environmentally vulnerable in the region. “An interesting “Pre-Med” meeting on natural resources was held in the morning, organised through the excellent work of the Directorate General for Development Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation after the opening of the 2017 “Rome Med – Mediterranean Dialogues”.
At today’s meeting, young people and innovation were also linked to the water theme. The idea was to consider how the growing young population of the southern shore of the Mediterranean could be encouraged to propose new projects on innovative methods to exploit water to ensure current and future sustainability.
The aim is to offer a functional key to the “Med-Dialogues” and consolidate its development aid component. From this standpoint, the “Med-Dialogues” provide an opportunity to help define Italian development aid strategy in the Mediterranean on the basis of the priorities identified.
