Optimising Desalination under Continental Drying Conditions through WEFE Nexus Approach in the Mediterranean

The Cyprus Institute, as coordinator of the PRIMA-funded project WEFE4MED (Nexus Community of Practice – NCoP), with support from GWP-Med and in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), is organizing an Open Online Session as part of the Regional Workshop on “Optimizing Desalination under Continental Drying Conditions through a Water–Energy–Food–Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus Approach in the Mediterranean.”

Scheduled for 25–26 November 2025 in Nicosia, the workshop brings together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners from the Euro-Mediterranean region to address the growing challenges of water scarcity and climate-driven drying trends. The session will introduce the workshop’s objectives and facilitate dialogue on how desalination can enhance water, energy, food, and ecosystem security through an integrated WEFE Nexus approach along the Source to Sea continuum. 

The Workshop will start with an open Online Session (10.00-11.30 EET) aimed to foster cross-sectoral dialogue and knowledge exchange among researchers, policymakers and practitioners from across the Euro-Mediterranean region. The open Online Session will introduce the overall objectives of the Workshop and frame the discussion on how desalination can contribute to water, energy, food and ecosystem security in the Mediterranean region through a WEFE Nexus approach in the Source to Sea continuum. It will elaborate on the need for sustainable, integrated solutions, in response to the ongoing drying trends and mounting pressures on natural resources. It will also refer to relevant policy initiatives, as mentioned already.

Emphasis will be placed on the urgent need for sustainable, cross-sectoral solutions in response to mounting pressures on natural resources, referencing key policy initiatives such as the European Commission’s Water Resilience Strategy and the draft “Strategy on WEFE Nexus in the Mediterranean Source-to-Sea continuum,” developed within the frameworks of the Union for the Mediterranean, Barcelona Convention (UNEP/MAP), and the European Union. This session aims to foster knowledge exchange and collaboration for resilient water management in the Mediterranean.

For more information and to regioster to the online session