Every year, World Water Day draws the world’s attention to key water challenges. Mediterranean youth has a key role in working towards regional water security and better water awareness. Indeed, young people are innovating with water in the entire region, and their actions and ideas should be recognized, shared and replicated to create a more secure regional water future and further mobilise other youth, especially in the Maghreb and the Mashreq. Water innovation also constitutes a valuable economic opportunity for youth, with the potential to create numerous green jobs.

In this context, 45 passionate young water professionals from various Mediterranean countries and working on innovative solutions to combat water scarcity in the Mediterranean region will gathered this week in ANAFORA to attend the World Water Day Youth Workshop from 11th to 15th March 2018.

The event’s #WaterHeroes hashtag reflects youth’s enthusiasm and determination in being the solution to the Mediterranean region’s worsening water challenges, reaffirming the importance of youth inclusion in all fields.

During this 4-day-workshop, the four winners will present their projects to their young peers and participants will exchange ideas, research results, entrepreneurship possibilities and advocacy campaigns on Nature-based Solutions for water security in the region.

Based on last year’s success, the SwitchMed Networking and Green Entrepreneurship Facility, managed by the SCP/RAC, will facilitate a hands-on workshop for around 40 young participants on green innovation with a focus on nature-based solutions for water. The workshop will be held on March 13th from 10am and will be facilitated by our project manager Anna Ibanez.

The activities implemented in the session are part of the SwitchMed Green Business model Methodology, which has been tested and proven very successful in the Mediterranean.

In this 3 hours session, participants will deepen their understanding of the concept of circular economy and eco-social innovation in the Mediterranean. They will also better understand how nature-based solutions can be used as a resource in the circular economy. At the end of the day, participants will discuss the role of Mediterranean youth in eco-social innovation and the circular economy based on the examples of SwitchMed youth entrepreneurs.

The SwitchMed sustainable consumption and production programme aims to promote a switch by the Mediterranean economies towards sustainable consumption and production patterns and green economy, including low-emission development, through demonstration and dissemination of methods that improve resource and energy efficiency. It also seeks to minimise the environmental impacts associated with the life cycle of products and services and, where possible, to promote renewable energy.

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