The cost of managing water resources to reach social, economic and environmental goals is increasing due to increased demands from urbanisation, population growth and climatic threats – to name but some of the future challenges.
Uganda is a landlocked country and bordered on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the north by the Sudan, on the east by Kenya, and on the south by Tanzania and Rwanda.
Burundi is a landlocked state, bordered by Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Tanzania. The climate is equatorial which, due to considerable altitude variation, results in a great variety of mean temperature across the country. There are two wet seasons (February to May and September to November), and two dry seasons (June to August and December to January). Burundi has large deposits of e.g. nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat, cobalt, copper and platinum.
The climate in Somalia is mainly arid to semi-arid, with an average annual daytime temperature of 27ºC. Somalia is located in an extreme water scarce area, where most of the available water resources exist in rivers shared with neighboring countries and demand for water is increasing due to the population and urban growth.Somalia is lacking, not only easily available water resources, both also the human and financial resources to set up institutions and water infrastructures that are desperately needed.
Ukraine, situated by the Black Sea is bordering Belarus, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia and Slovakia. It is the second largest country in Europe, placed in the crossroads between Europe and Asia, giving it a very strategic position. The climate is temperate continental (although Mediterranean in the southern Crimean coast). The precipitation is disproportionally distributed being the highest in west and north; summers are warm across the country. Most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains and plateaus. In terms of natural resources, it is among other materials rich in iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas and oil.
Situated in the Southeastern Europe by the Black Sea, Romania borders Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine. It has a temperate climate with cold winters, frequently accompanied by snow and sunny summers. In terms of terrain, the central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Moldavian Plateau on the east by the Eastern Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps. Romania has substantial natural reserves, including petroleum (declining reserve), timber, natural gas, coal and iron ore.
Latvia is located in Eastern Europe, bordering Belarus, Russia and the Baltic Sea, between Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia has a maritime climate with wet moderate winters. The country is rich in peat, limestone, timber and arable land.
Senior Officials from the 43 country members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) recently approved a project entitled "Overcoming governance challenges to the mobilisation of financing for the Mediterranean water sector", aimed to identify and provide solutions to the lack of basic elements for a sound governance framework for the mobilisation of financing for the water sector in many Mediterranean countries, including absorption capacity at both national and local levels.
Deltas, where the river meets the sea, are dynamic and productive systems where people live and have built civilizations for millennia. Throughout the world they host dense populations and are important centers of food production, livelihoods and industry. These confluences of the sweet and the salty waters are of great ecological significance, featuring wetlands of high and unique biodiversity. Wise management of deltas is crucial for the integrity of ecosystems, economic well being and poverty alleviation.
Deltas, where the river meets the sea, are dynamic and productive systems where people live and have built civilizations for millennia. Throughout the world they host dense populations and are important centers of food production, livelihoods and industry. These confluences of the sweet and the salty waters are of great ecological significance, featuring wetlands of high and unique biodiversity. Wise management of deltas is crucial for the integrity of ecosystems, economic well being and poverty alleviation.