2024 activities of the Mediterranean Network of Basin Organizations

Water management appears as a crucial global challenge. Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) emerges as an essential framework for tackling the complex challenges associated with the availability, quality and fair distribution of the resource. The approach behind IWRM aims to reconcile economic, social and environmental needs, while involving all stakeholders to ensure sustainable management of water resources. 

The Mediterranean Network of Basin Organizations (MENBO), based in Valencia (Spain), aims to promote IWRM and exchange experiences implemented at the crossroads of three continents (Europe, Asia and Africa). 

Over the last year 2024, MENBO participated in numerous conferences and debates in which the promotion of IWRM was at the centre of the debates.

Among the events where MENBO was represented, the following are worth highlighting.

In February, the MENBO Secretariat attended the 5^th Mediterranean Water Forum (MWF), which took place in Tunisia (5 -7 February). MENBO, as a member of the Organising Committee of the MWF, was fully involved in its organisation and participated actively in the discussions taking place throughout the 6 thematic sessions and the 21 side events held, in particular piloting one of the thematic sessions.

In Mai, at the 10^th World Water Forum (Bali, Indonesia), both the President and the MENBO General Coordinator, attended various sessions of the Forum, in particular those where IWRM was addressed, contributing to bringing up the messages and solutions derived from the conclusions of the 5^th MWF to the Global Water Community.

In March, the General Coordinator of MENBO was invited to speak at the first Arab Academic Summit on Water, which took place in Rabat (Morocco).

The Summit touched upon traditional water management practices and ancestral knowledge and techniques, while reflecting on how those can be integrated into current and future water management policies.

The MENBO highlighted the Arab heritage in Spain and described the methods and legacies brought along by the different civilisations established in the Peninsula throughout the centuries, starting from the Phoenicians, through the Romans and Arabs, until modern engineering.

In October, the MENBO Secretariat attended the General Assembly of the International Network of Basin Organisation (INBO), held in Bordeaux (France) under the theme “Water Resources and Climate Change”. MENBO participated as a regional Network of INBO providing a number of speakers. 

In December, the MENBO General Coordinator, participated in the International Seminar on the implementation of IWRM, organised by the Bassin Hydraulique Sebou, in the city of Fès (Morocco).

This International Seminar brought together experts, researchers and actors involved in water management to hold a debate on the implementation of IWRM where they highlighted its importance while promoting the exchange of best practices and fostering multi-sectoral and interregional partnerships. 

On this occasion, the MENBO coordinator offered a retrospective of the development of water management from the Romans and Arabs legacies until recent years, and outlined the key aspects of water planning in Spain, highlighting the importance of upholding the pillars of IWRM.