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The UN-Water annual Zaragoza Conference serves as preparation for the annual World Water Day. GWP representatives participated in several of the sessions.

Water Integrity Capacity Building for the Middle East and North Africa region is a four year (2014-2017) regional programme implemented by Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) in collaboration with GWP-Med and other regional and local partners.

In Cyprus, our work is known as Mission Water - Non Conventional Water Resources Programme

In the Maltese islands the Proramme is known as Alter Aqua. Both Malta and Gozo have limited freshwater resources and depend heavily on desalination. The need to mobilise Non Conventional Water Resources (NCWR) to secure local water availability is evident.

In Greece the NCWR programme is know as Rainwater Harvesting (RWH). RWH aims at revitalising and reintroducing traditional rainwater harvesting combined with innovative techniques and methods in the Greek islands, as a tool to improve water availability and climate change adaptation at a local level.

With natural water supplies no longer meeting the growing demand in several countries throughout the region, non-conventional water resources, such as treated wastewater reuse and desalination, are increasingly becoming an additional contributor to water availability. Related environmental, energy, health and other impacts need to be carefully considered while defining the potentials and limitations of such options. Improving non-conventional options demands better planning and regulation; coordinated investment; monitoring of operations; building managerial capacity; and, where relevant, mitigating their negative impacts including along the coastline. Overall, where development of non-conventional options is necessary, it should be combined with water demand management actions. In relation and beyond these, a strong demand for integrated urban water management, including through blue-green approaches and practices, has emerged.

GWP-Med aims at putting IWRM, as well as the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus approach, into practice to help countries towards growth and water security emphasizing good governance, appropriate infrastructure and sustainable financing. In doing so, it focuses on contributing to and advocating for solutions for critical challenges to water security, such as climate change impacts, urbanisation, food insecurity, energy insecurity, ecosystems threats, unemployment, migration, etc.

GWP Central America has been working closely with the Regional Committee for Water Resources (CRRH), which is part of the Central American Integration System, to strengthen regional capacity in the monitoring of climate to support decision making, especially related to agriculture, fisheries, water resources management, risk management and food security.