Conference on Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus scientific advances in the Mediterranean region, online from Nicosia, Cyprus, 27-29 September 2021

Increasing demand for water, energy and food, due to population growth and urbanization, is aggravated by unprecedented extreme weather and climatic conditions. This situation is likely to undermine the sustainable and peaceful development of the Mediterranean region. As these sectors are strongly interlinked, sustainable development and social stability in the region cannot be achieved simply by considering the management of Water, Energy, Food and Ecosystems (WEFE) as separate resources.

Partnerships between policy makers, practitioners and scientists are essential to identify best practices and solutions across this nexus, to be shared and used across borders in the Mediterranean region.

The WEFE Nexus Science Advances Conference is organised by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Directorate-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission, the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), the Partnership for Research and Innovation in the Mediterranean Area (PRIMA) and the Cyprus Institute. The Conference will analyse the role of science as a driver of innovation for the sustainable development of the Mediterranean region, and its interfacing with the policy and decision-making processes. It will recommend practical measures on how to integrate new paths in research and planning across the WEFE Nexus, through a collaborative response throughout the Mediterranean region.

The Conference will be held entirely online with successive high-level panel sessions and group work smoothly spread over three days. It will be highly interactive with discussions at the science-to-policy interface triggered by keynote speakers tasked to review the state-of-the-art in specific areas of the Nexus (Nexus Talks). Participants and panellists will be asked to provide inspiring evidence of mutually beneficial solutions based on the co-production of practical and scientific knowledge. Breakout Groups and poster sessions will offer opportunities for networking.

More information and the Conference programme are available: here

The conference is free to attend for all participants. Registration is now open:

• Registration deadline: 26 September 2021
• Deadline for poster abstracts: 31 August 2021
• Deadline for full posters (.pdf)/videos (MP4): 17 September 2021