A new instructor-led online training course has just been implemented under the GEF/UNEP-MAP MedProgramme, designed to strengthen the capacities of policymakers and experts across nine beneficiary countries: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, Lebanon, Libya, Montenegro, Morocco, and Tunisia.
The course was organised by GWP-Med and implemented by Cap-Net with support from UNEP-DHI. Its overall aim was to equip participants with the skills and knowledge needed to better understand Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) interlinkages and to promote coordinated, cross-sectoral solutions in the Mediterranean context.
The training targeted policymakers and experts from national authorities familiar with sustainable development challenges in at least one WEFE sector, as well as regional climate impacts. Gender balance was ensured among the participants to the Course.
The training consisted of four modules focused on helping participants learn to:
- Understand key WEFE Nexus concepts, frameworks, and drivers
- Apply scenario development methodologies and nexus assessment tools
- Use indicators, metrics, and evidence to guide decision-making
- Analyze climate change impacts, adaptation needs, and mitigation approaches
- Explore response options including governance, financing, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement
Each Module combined Notes, video recording of detailed presentation, mandatory readings, informative videos and discussions forums with live expert-led sessions offering participants the opportunity to:
- Learn from real Mediterranean WEFE case studies
- Exchange experiences with peers
- Engage directly with leading WEFE specialists
With an up-to-date focus on climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation, grounded in regional Mediterranean projections, the course highlights practical WEFE solutions, from stakeholder engagement and governance to financing and monitoring, enabling truly cross-sectoral, future-ready outcomes.
The course has been organised within the framework of Component 1 of Child Project 2.2 “Managing Coastal Zones: Managing the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus” of the GEF UNEP/MAP MedProgramme. Through this Component, countries work together to take a major step forward in strengthening integrated natural resource management across the Mediterranean. One of the aims of the component is to foster greater awareness and deeper institutional capacity by encouraging knowledge exchange, peer learning, and cross-fertilisation among stakeholders. Ultimately, it will empower countries to learn from each other, strengthen their coordination, and accelerate the transition toward more integrated, sustainable resource management.