“Water Challenges in the Mediterranean Region: Cooperation and Exchange of Knowledge”

On 17 October 2025 in Naples, Ms. Frida Krifca, President of the Governing Board of the CIHEAM, took part in the session “Water Challenges in the Mediterranean Region: Cooperation and Exchange of Knowledge” held within the framework of the 11th edition of the MED Dialogues, the leading conference on the Mediterranean promoted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies).

Intervention of Ms. Frida Krifca, President of the Governing Board of the CIHEAM

Alongside Mr. Nasser Kamel, Secretary General of the Union for the Mediterranean, Ms. Maria Spena, President of the One Water Committee and Mr. Alain Meyssonnier, President of the Mediterranean Water Institute, and , Ms. Krifca reminded that the Mediterranean remains one of the most water-stressed regions in the world, home to fifteen of the twenty most water-scarce countries globally.

“Water scarcity is not only an environmental concern,” she stated. “It is a strategic issue of stability, security, and social cohesion.” She underlined the deep inequalities between the northern and southern shores, the growing competition among agricultural, urban, and industrial users, and the intensifying impacts of climate change on agricultural productivity, ecosystems, and food security.

Drawing on the experience and network of the CIHEAM, Ms. Krifca referred to several initiatives that demonstrate how dialogue and cooperation can deliver tangible results. She mentioned the REACT4MED project, which supports land restoration and sustainable water management in arid zones, and the One Water initiative, which connects Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Balkan countries in preparation for the Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum to be held in Rome in 2026. She also referred to the Med Water Lab, developed with the Apulia Region, which brings together policymakers, researchers, and young innovators to design new integrated models for river basin management.

Ms. Krifca further highlighted the need to rethink food systems to reduce their water footprint, recalling that the Mediterranean Diet, long promoted by the CIHEAM, remains a model of balance between sustainability, health, and culture — a valuable reference for producing and consuming within ecological limits.

In conclusion, she called for realism in addressing the scale of the crisis, warning against complacency and idealistic rhetoric. In a region where tensions over resources are bound to grow, non-cooperation is no longer an option. According to Ms. Krifca, Blue Diplomacy must emerge as a form of shared realism — not as an abstract ideal, but as a strategic necessity to safeguard peace, security, and the future of Mediterranean societies.