44
The News N° 25 - February 2015
THEMEDITERRANEAN
FRom one conTinenT To anoTHeR
Launched inMarch2012 inMarseilles, on the
occasion of the 6
th
WorldWater Forum,
the
AquaForMed Network
gathers water trai-
ning centers around the Mediterranean
having a significant training activity for the
technical staffs ofwater supply and sanitation
utilities.
It aims to enable vocational training on
water in theMediterranean region.
In particular, it supports the principle that the
development of skills through training
improves servicequality and increases the life
span of structures.
This belief is based on two studies being
developed by Network members: the first
deals with the benefits of vocational training
for water and sanitation utilities and, the
second, with the regulatory and financial
context including training in the Mediterra-
nean.
AdynamicNetwork
for a strategic issue
The launching phase of AquaForMed
has been financed by the Ile-de-France
Region since September 2012.
The first
activities of the Network enabled the deve-
lopment of an online website, the organiza-
tion of three steering committees and the
conducting of a study tour of water supply
and sanitationutilities inParis inMarch2014.
The Network also participated in
the
3
rd
International Water Forum in Istan-
bul,
byorganizingon28May2014a session
gathering stakeholders in vocational training.
Finally, the Network is continuing its expan-
sion, with the accession of three important
centers in 2014: the Water Training Center
(CFME) of the ”Algérienne des Eaux” (Algiers
Water Company - ADE), the Sanitation Trai-
ning Center (CFMA) of the Algerian National
SanitationOffice (ONA), andTheCityofWater
and Sanitation (LCDEA) of the Interdepart-
mental Syndicate for Sanitation of Greater
Paris (SIAAP).
AquaForMed
will intervene at the 7
th
World
Forum in Korea in thematic sessions on the
economic benefits of vocational training,
coordinated by
the International Network
ofWater TrainingCenters (INWTC).
4
AquaForMed
Mediterranean Network of Water Training Centers
The management of urban solid waste is a
priority issue in theMediterranean. The report
presented at the Ministerial Conference on
theEnvironment of theUnion for theMediter-
ranean demonstrates the importance of this
issue to achieve the goal of removing pollu-
tion in the Mediterranean by 2020 (Hori-
zon2020).
The strategic platform implemented in
the Med-3R project, co-funded by the
European Commission under the Euro-
pean Neighborhood Financial Instru-
ment, offers an actual response to this
problem.
Thisplatform isbuilt aroundvariousactivities:
pilot actions carriedout
in8Mediterranean
cities
(Nice-Riviera Metropolis, Hyeres,
Genoa, Sfax, Sousse, Blat, Byblos, and
Aqaba), drafting of waste management
plans, training, capitalizationof knowledgeof
municipalities, industry and expert networks.
The addressed topics cover food waste,
waste sorting, composting of bio-waste,
Waste of Electrical and Electronic Equipment
(WEEE),wasteof activitieswith infectious risk
(medical waste), plastic waste and waste of
islands.
In 2014, the pilot actions, coordinated by
EMWIS,
have all started and an assessment
framework with sets of indicators has been
defined to present the lessons learned by the
end of 2015.
IOWater,
for its part, carried out the follo-
wing actions:
n
Preparationof a report on
the sortingof
bio-waste;
n
Draftingof technical sheetson
theuseof
waste dryers in the catering indus-
try,
n
Organization of 2 training sessions
for municipal officials in Lebanon on the
topic of waste sorting and collection, and
on communication strategies tobe imple-
mented to improve service performance.
The network has expanded with the joining
up of five new towns at the meeting of the
Med-3R
Committee at Byblos in October
2014.
4
Session of the AquaForMedNetwork
3
rd
International Water Forum in Istanbul
InternationalNetwork
ofWaterTraining
Centers
INWTC
Training session in Lebanon
”MED-3R”
For better management of urban solid waste in theMediterranean
