Follow-up event on Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation

PROGRAMME

9:30-10:00      Welcome Coffee

10:00-10:05    Opening remarks by Stefano PALMIERI, President of the EESCs External Relations Section (REX)

10:05-10:15    Keynote speech by Kristian VIGENIN, Member of the European Parliament

10:15-10:25    Keynote speech by Pernille WEISS-EHLER, Member of the Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall, European Commission

10:25-10:35    Keynote speech by Christophe YVETOT, Head of Brussels Liaison Office, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)

10.35-10.55    Presentation of the EESCs Opinion on Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation by Milena ANGELOVA, Ioannis VARDAKASTANIS & Thomas WAGNSONNER

10:55-11:15    Presentation of the Routledge Water Diplomacy Handbook by Martina KLIMES and Aaron SALZBERG, SIWI / ICWC

 

Roundtable I – Experts

Discussion on the conclusions and recommendations of EESC opinion on Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation and practical tools for their implementation, presented in the Routledge Water Diplomacy Handbook

11:15   12:00

Setting the scene & moderator: Alain COHEUR – President of the EESCs Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI)

  • Tony AGOTHA, EU Special Envoy for Climate and Environment
  • Mark ZEITOUN, Director General of the Geneva Water Hub
  • Saule OSPANOVA, Head of Environmental Cooperation Unit, Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities

 

Roundtable II - Practitioners

Reflections on how the conclusions and recommendations of EESC opinion on Blue Diplomacy and Water Cooperation and on how the tools from the Routledge Water Diplomacy Handbook could be applied to water-related challenges in Europe and its neighbourhood

12:00 - 12:45

Moderator: Milena ANGELOVA, EESC Member

  • Lifeng LI, Director of FAO's Land and Water Division
  • Alejandro RIVERA ROJAS, Chief of Division of MSME Competitiveness, Quality and Job Creation, UNIDO
  • Edouard BOINET, Project Manager at the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO)
  • Richard ELELMAN, Leader of the Cassandra Conference and Project

12:45-13:00    Key Messages & Next Steps by Milena ANGELOVA, Ioannis VARDAKASTANIS, Thomas Wagnsonner, Martina KLIMES & Aaron SALZBERG

(Interpretation will be available from EN/FR/DE into EN/FR/DE)