Building Water Resilience: The Role of Mediterranean Cities and Regions

The 10th Commission for Sustainable Territorial Development of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM), taking place in Carcassone in France. During the assembly, the session titled "Building Water Resilience: The Role of Mediterranean Cities and Regions," will address the critical water-related challenges faced by local communities in the Mediterranean and the measures needed to enhance water resilience through regional cooperation.

Urban areas around the Mediterranean are increasingly challenged by climate change impacts and stress on urban services, particularly in the southern Mediterranean, where water scarcity is most severe. This crisis underscores the urgent need for cooperation and sustainable, inclusive solutions to prevent social and national tensions.

The 10th ARLEM Commission Meeting aims to strengthen dialogue among members on energy transition and foster collaboration between cultural capitals across the Mediterranean basin. The discussions will focus on the challenges posed by water scarcity, the obstacles to implementing water resilience measures, and the role of regional cooperation in ensuring communities' daily water needs are met.

In response to these challenges, Cities Alliance launched the "Women and Sustainable Cities" program last year in three pilot cities in Morocco, Tunisia, and Mauritania. This initiative collaborates with local communities and authorities to develop sustainable water practices while reinforcing the role of women in local water management. At the ARLEM meeting Giulia Maci, Euro-Mediterranean Programme Manager at Cities Alliance will present this recent work and a reflection on how to reactivate heritage-based climate solutions though community engagement.

Panelists in the discussion on water resilience in the Mediterranean region at the 10th ARLEM Commission Meeting are:

• Giulia Maci, Programme Manager Euro-Mediterranean Region, Cities Alliance 
• Taleb Abderrahmane El Mahjoub, ARLEM rapporteur, Mayor of Tevragh Zeina, Mauritania
• Almotaz Abadi, Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue Economy, Union for the Mediterranean
• A representative for the European Commission

The Euro-Mediterranean Regional and Local Assembly (ARLEM) is an assembly of local and regional representatives from the European Union and its Mediterranean partners. Established in 2010 by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) and territorial associations, ARLEM aims to maintain political dialogue and promote interregional cooperation.