Short description

The One Water II project aims to strengthen multilevel cooperation among countries in the MENA region and the Balkans to promote the sustainable management of water resources, fostering shared governance and the harmonization of public and private policies. It represents the natural continuation of the One Water project, implemented by CIHEAM Bari in collaboration with the One Water Italia Committee, which mapped water policies and practices in 17 countries, encouraging dialogue and networking among institutions, the private sector, and civil society. In partnership with key organizations (One Water Committee Itly, Arab Water Council, IME, UfM), the initiative consolidates stakeholder engagement and supports the active participation of target countries through a network of Focal Points. Planned activities include multi-stakeholder meetings, updates of best practices, regional position papers, participation in international events, and support for two strategic events to be held in Italy in 2026, including the Euro-Mediterrenane Water Forum which will be held in Rome in autumn 2026.

General objective

Contribute to the development of a water governance system aimed at achieving SDG 6 (targets 6.4, 6.5, and 6.a) and SDG 17 (targets 17.16, 17.17, and 17.19)

Specific Objective 1: Strengthen cooperation among MENA and Balkan countries for the sustainable management of water resources by completing the mapping of policies, governance frameworks, needs, data, and best practices, under Italy’s technical coordination.

Specific Objective 2: Provide technical, scientific, and capacity-building support for the preparation of the two strategic Italian water events in 2026, enhancing Italy’s role in international water governance.

Expected Result 1 – Strengthened multilevel cooperation among technical and political institutions of MENA and Balkan countries to promote knowledge exchange and the harmonization of sustainable approaches in water resources management.

Expected Result 2  – Enhanced multilevel stakeholder engagement among political and technical institutions of MENA and Balkan countries, under Italy’s coordination, aimed at identifying common challenges and fostering active and qualified participation in working groups, with particular focus on the organization and joint contribution to the two strategic water events planned in Italy in 2026.