Brussels, 14/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - In her concluding remarks at the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) meeting on sustainable development in Rabat on 12-13 September (see EUROPE 10450) the Moroccan minister for energy and the environment, Amina Benkhadra, said that “the problem of urbanisation in the Mediterranean is one of the biggest challenges of the 21st-century”. This meeting is in preparation for the ministerial session on 9-10 November in Strasbourg. She explained that faced with such a challenge, “a collective struggle” would be necessary. Participants at this meeting in Rabat included representatives from UfM member countries, representatives from multilateral organisations and fund donors (World Bank, European Investment Bank and the Agence française de développement AFD).
According to the figures highlighted at the conference, the population of cities in the east and south of the Mediterranean is expected to reach 245 million inhabitants by 2025, as opposed to the current figure of 165 million. This constitutes an increase of almost 50%. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has drawn up a report on this, which was presented to the meeting. During the conclusions from the debates, the minister highlighted the risk of accelerated urbanisation, which would mainly affect countries in the south and east of the Mediterranean. The consequence would be deterioration in a situation that is already worrying with regard to land use, pollution of subterranean water tables, access to quality drinking water and water purification services, as well as the negative impact on the environment and human health, explained the Benkhadra. There are also other ramifications caused by climate change. According to Francisco Mombiela, the secretary general at the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), “climate constraints, water shortages and land restrictions have always existed in the Mediterranean. Agricultural systems have often had to demonstrate ingenuity to tackle these many difficulties. Today, this relative capacity for resilience is currently being tested like never before”. (F.B./transl.fl)