MEDITERRANEAN COUNTRIES DISCUSS ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY
AT OSCE, NATO WORKSHOP
VALENCIA, Spain, 10 December 2007 -
Water scarcity, land degradation and desertification are the focus of a
workshop, organized jointly by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, the OSCE
Spanish Chairmanship and the OSCE Office of the Co-ordinator for Economic and
Environmental Activities, that started on 10 December in Valencia.
Policymakers, scientists and experts
from the Mediterranean region are taking part in the two-day workshop, which
will assess the links between water scarcity, land degradation and
desertification on the one hand and security on the other. Participants will
discuss the specific role the OSCE, NATO and other organizations could play in
fostering environmental security in the Mediterranean region.
"By examining the links between the
environment and security we are looking into the relationships that land
degradation might have on the stability of populations and on migratory
pressures, as well as the opportunities that water management offers for
co-operation," said Ambassador Jose Angel Lopez-Jorrin, Head of the OSCE Spanish
Chairmanship's Task Force.
While NATO initiated the discussion
on desertification and security, the OSCE is one of the first international
organizations to focus on the impact of environmental threats to security. The
Spanish OSCE Chairmanship demonstrated this commitment at the recent Ministerial
Council, which adopted the Madrid Declaration on Environment and Security.
The workshop builds on a previous
meeting, entitled "Desertification in the Mediterranean Region - a Security
Issue", that was organized by the Scientific Committee of NATO in
Valencia in
2003.
Organized with the support of the
Desertification
Research
Center in Valencia (CIDE) and the
Regional Government of Valencia, the workshop is of particular interest to the
countries in the OSCE Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation and the NATO
Mediterranean Dialogue, which include
Algeria,
Egypt,
Israel,
Jordan,
Mauritania,
Morocco and
Tunisia.