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Invitation
The Global Water
Partnership (Dialogue on Water and Climate Change) and IUCN-The World
Conservation Union have joined forces to exchange experience on how to
meet the challenge faced by all Mediterranean societies in adapting to
climate change. Specifically, we take pleasure in inviting you to
participate in a regional roundtable to be held in Athens on 10 and 11
December that will explore the institutional response of seven
Mediterranean countries to anticipated changes in climate, as well as
discuss national adaptation strategies for increased drought or flood
events, and the measures taken or planned by the responsible authorities.
The roundtable is
specifically addressed at:
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Focal points of the
Convention on Climate Change, where adaptation strategies have been agreed
as one key measure, and of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands,
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Multi-disciplinary
experts working on flood and drought management in the water resources
sector (vulnerability and risk management),
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Government departments
managing the institutional response to climate change,
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Managers of water
resource infrastructure (notably dams)
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Civil society groups
active in water resource management.
The meeting will focus
less on the emission mitigation and impact aspects of the climate changes
in different countries (as this has been broadly laid out under the IPCC)
and more on the nature of the national adaptation responses to climate
change. It will also address cross-cutting issues relevant to the Ramsar
Convention on Wetlands.
The roundtable will benefit from technical inputs concerning:
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Water resources
planning – improved techniques for an uncertain era,
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Flood and risk
management,
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Drought action plans,
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Biophysical and
socio-economic impacts of climate change on wetlands,
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National experiences
in adaptation strategies from the region.
As this issue often
concerns a range of different sectors involved in water and resource
management, service provision and infrastructure design and management, it
is anticipated that each participating country may be represented by
several individuals.
More specifically the
roundtable is intended to support work toward developing country-specific
climate adaptation plans which is one of the obligations under the UNFCCC.
This roundtable is intended to exchange the experience gained so far in
Mediterranean countries and to suggest future short and medium term
actions that may benefit the countries of the region.
I hope you will be able to attend, confirming this by returning the
enclosed registration form, and we look forward to discussing this
critical issue further in Athens with a view to contributing a regional
perspective to the wider global dialogue on Water and Climate Change.
Yours sincerely,
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Jamie Skinner
Director, IUCN Mediterranean
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Michael Scoullos
Chairman, GWP Med
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IUCN Centre for
Mediterranean Cooperation
Parque Tecnológico de Andalucía
C/ Marie Curie, 35 (Sede Social)
29590 – Campanillas (Málaga)
Tel. + 34 952 02 84 30; Fax. + 34 952 02 81 45
Email: uicnmed@iucn.org
Web Site:
www.uicnmed.org
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GWP-Med Secretariat
c/o MIO-ECSDE
28, Tripodon str, 10558 Athens,
Tel: +321-3247490; Fax: +321-3317127
E-mail: secretariat@gwpmed.org
Web Site:
www.gwpmed.org
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