BONEX Project celebrating the International Mediterranean Day and supporting rural women in the agricultural sector, 28 November 2023, Tunis, Tunisia
On 28 of November, all the Mediterranean countries were celebrating the “international day of the Mediterranean”. More particularly, on Thursday 28 November 2023, UfM together with the Euro-Mediterranean Women’s Foundation (FFEM) have organized the conference titled “Rural women in the heart of the WEFE Nexus” to raise awareness on the needs to enhance cooperation and innovation around the WEFE Nexus while bringing together associations, journalists, NGOs, partners from EU funded projects (i.e., WEFE project /PRIMA), private sector, and local actors. The opening was made by the President of CAWTAR/President of the FFEM, Ms. Soukeina Bouraoui and Mr. Octavi Quintana (online). Mr. Ali Rhouma, from PRIMA has also attended the event.
Dr. Olfa Mahjoub, member of BONEX team in Tunisia, was invited together with the young women farmer involved in BONEX project, Ms Sara Mekada, as the holder of the demo site in Ouardanine, to actively participate in the event. D. Mahjoub have given a talk titled “Mainstreaming Gender for an Enhanced Reuse of Reclaimed Water in Ouardanine” to introduce the project to the large audience focusing on the new approach embodied by the WEFE Framework and showcased the innovative solutions that will be put in place to enhance the development of the reclaimed water reuse in Ouardanine. Most importantly, she clearly highlighted the way BONEX consortium and gender committee are mainstreaming gender during the project and through the action plan, various activities, and collaborations.
The event was also aiming at informing about the 5th Mediterranean Water Forum to be held in Tunis (5 -7 February 2024), building partnerships around common practices and supporting the application of a global approach built on the WEFE NEXUS. At the end, several testimonies were shared by women farmers to bring to the light years of experiences and endeavor in strengthening women leadership.
The conference was closed by the Minister of the Environment, Ms Leila Chikhaoui.
