AMWAJ Alliance, the leading platform focusing on tackling water scarcity and energy challenges, partnered with Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Cewas Middle East, and KAS – REMENA to address the most pressing issues facing the Mediterranean region in relation to energy and water.
AMWAJ Live took place on 28-29 October and was hosted in simultaneous Arabic, French, and English by the Union for the Mediterranean. The participation of journalists, policy-makers, and entrepreneurs from around the world contributed multiple perspectives and their expertise. AMWAJ Live included 2 discussion panels with 13 industry experts from the Mediterranean region, engaging in thought-provoking discussions related to the water and energy markets.
Those who want to re-watch the discussion panels can do so here
Reflections from speakers and experts
Commenting on AMWAJ Live, Isidro González Afonso, UfM Deputy Secretary General for Water and Environment, affirmed that:
“Water scarcity in the Mediterranean Region is acute, hindering development and damaging our economies. It threatens human security, and can put at risk the socio-economic stability across the Mediterranean. The UfM is very well placed to build bridges and foster constructive dialogue aiming to find common solutions.”
Likewise, Almotaz Abadi, Managing Director for Water Cooperation and Investment at the UfM, said:
“The Med region is suffering from unemployment, thus we at the UfM Secretariat are taking an ‘outside of the box’ approach to create new jobs in the water and energy sectors by supporting entrepreneurship and integrating the water-energy nexus into business, creating an economic boost. This is a great challenge, but at the UfM we try our best to bring people together to openly discuss these issues, influence policies, and disseminate good practices.”
At the closure of the third edition of the AMWAJ Forum, Patricia Carbonell, project manager of AMWAJ Forum, said:
“The AMWAJ Alliance continues to raise awareness about the importance of sustainable practices and environmental action. Our community of water and energy journalists are at the core of what we do, alongside our partners who have long supported us. We thank the Union for the Mediterranean, CEWAS Middle East, and KAS for their belief in our mission and continuous support to the AMWAJ mission.”
AMWAJ Live’s Water and Energy ‘Mediathon’ was a capacity-building exercise organised in collaboration with CEWAS Middle East and KAS, connecting media professionals with water and energy entrepreneurs.
Furthermore, Janek Hermann-Friede, Project Manager at CEWAS, added:
“AMWAJ bridges a gap between water innovation and media; bringing these two elements together greatly helps to create innovative media campaigns that raise awareness and demand for sustainable energy and water solutions with the media professionals and entrepreneurs that participated in the Mediathon!”
A total of 30 participants worked in teams to develop innovative water and energy media campaigns, and pitched their concept to a jury of experts. The judges were: Youmna Naufal, Daniela Diegelmann (KAS), Stuart Reigeluth (REVOLVE), Andre Marti (Rotary Club Willisau), and Kareem Hassan (CEWAS). The jury selected two winners: ‘Darb’ – which received $3,500 – and ‘Solvillion’ – which received $1,500.
AMWAJ Forum was supposed to be held in Beirut this year therefore, in line with its mission, the team will be organizing a tree-planting effort in the city, in an effort to increase green spaces in urban areas. Donate and help grow the #BeirutRiverForest today!
