The Mediterranean Water Institute celebrate its 30^th anniversary.

Since 1982, IME as an association and international NGO has been working actively through its network of Mediterranean experts for the development of multilateral water-related cooperation.

Concerned by water-related problems both in terms of resources and management, IME has taken a particular interest in integrated water resources management and sustainable development, taking into account the protection of natural environments.

To celebrate its 30^th anniversary, IME will organize a regional symposium from February 6^th to 8^th, 2013 in Marseille, the city of its headquarters:
This event will have a “hydro-political” nature, bringing together IME’s members, local and regional authorities, institutions, professionals who support and/or finance IME and guests and personalities representing political and administrative authorities in charge of the water sector in the Mediterranean countries.
The celebration of this anniversary is a logical follow up to the 1^st Mediterranean Water Forum (Marrakech, December 2011) and the 6^th World Water Forum (Marseille, March 2012).

On the debates, two themes have emerged among those that characterize the main aspects of water issues in the region and which thus interest the whole water community, namely:

• Water and governance
• Water and energy

Combining both a geo-political and geo-climatic orientation, these themes will be debated during the symposium through two main events:

• An opening conference on the issue of Water and Governance (Hotel de Région – Hémicycle on the February 6^th, 2013)
• A regional seminar on Water and Energy (World Trade Center on February 7^th and 8^th, 2013)

These activities will foster the exchange on and the consolidation of the development of cooperation on these two priority issues. The opening conference will consist of an exchange between targeted representatives of the Mediterranean water community. The activities in the regional seminar will be based on a position paper that will be presented in the introduction and around which the debates will be organized.