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Expert Meeting on Global Change in North Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean

On August 25 and 26 some 50 experts from Africa, the United States of America, Japan, India and Eastern Mediterranean countries met to discuss pressing issues of global and climate change in the MENA Region (the term “MENA” is a common abbreviation for: Middle East end North Africa) and appropriate strategies and measures to deal with their adverse consequences in a workshop on Regional Actions on Climate Change and Future Earth.

The workshop was organized by the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria, Egypt and features a number of invited talks, round-table discussions and ample opportunities for open discussion among the participants.

An important aspect discussed at the workshop was the role of Future Earth in enabling and facilitating the formulation and implementation of a research agenda fit to address the problems to be tackled. Future Earth (http://www.futureearth.org/) is a major international research platform, aiming to provide the knowledge and support to accelerate transformations to a sustainable world.

Prof. Manfred Lange, the Director of the Future Earth MENA Regional Center (FEMRC) at The Cyprus Institute (http://fe-mena.cyi.ac.cy/index.php) was invited to participate in the workshop. The FEMRC is active in shaping the Future Earth research agenda for the MENA Region in close consultation with colleagues from the MENA countries. His involvement underlines the close ties between the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and FEMRC and the Cyprus Institute.
The Alexandria workshop is seen as paving the way for a gathering of experts from the region in Nicosia, later this year. At this point, a Regional Advisory Committee for the FEMRC will be constituted and will take up its work.