Amwaj 2020

Join us in building the Mediterranean water and energy community by empowering the next generation of journalists, researchers and entrepreneurs for a more sustainable world. This shared geographic space comprises the 43 countries of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and is at the crossroads of three continents bringing together hundreds of millions of people. This is the most water scarce region in the world facing tremendous demographic and socioeconomic challenges.

AMWAJ is partnering with the World Energy Week, co-organized by the Lebanese Center for Energy Conservation (LCEC), to take place in Sin el-Fil, Beirut, from 5-10 October 2020. This is a great opportunity to integrate energy & water issues ever more closely in a mutual effort to bridge the gaps in policy, find investment opportunities and discover real sustainability stories. AMWAJ helps open the path for incremental regional cooperation around the sharing of natural resources.

AMWAJ focuses on promoting knowledge exchange, enabling challenging discussions, and strengthening partnerships and networks through capacity building workshops. To communicate accurately and effectively the value of water and to influence policy-making constructively, AMWAJ offers the following agenda:

Session 1 | Setting the Scene: Regional Cooperation

This session aims to provide a general framework on the state of play of local authorities actions regarding energy efficiency and climate change, with a special focus on shared regional challenges and opportunities. High-level discussion with decision-makers advancing the transversal themes of water and energy for socio-economic development.

Session 2 | Social Dimensions  

The session will explore the changes in the energy supply system and their profound social repercussions. Renewable energies development and sustainable water management system could potentially offer a horizon of progress and well-being to the peoples of the Mediterranean.

Session 3 | Financing Models 

The session will focus on the financing perspective and to contribute to the development of innovative and replicable financing models, it aims to shed some light on the need of specific finance for small-scale projects, which are not usually among the priorities for the major players that invest in the region.

Session 4 | Innovative Solutions

This session aims to highlight and promote innovative solutions implemented in the region at the local and community levels and to evaluate the perspective of replicability around the region.

Session 5 | Science Communication

AMWAJ team expect all stakeholders who participate in the activities to pursue stories and projects covering water and energy issues in their home countries. Their contributions will be gathered, reviewed and published through REVOLVE and AMWAJ Channels depending on the topic of interest.