A meeting was held o­n 15 September 2004 in Tunisia, in the framework of the MedWet LIFE project titled Protection and Development of Wetlands in North Africa (NAWN).  The meeting represented the first visit of European Commission officers to a NAWN program site and the Tunisian Directorate General of Forests took the opportunity to reaffirm their administrative and technical support towards the LIFE project. AMong others, participants considered the major lines of a budget revision requested by the Tunisian Focal Units of NAWN. 

PArticipants included Mr Bruno Julien Head of the LIFE Programs Unit representing the Commission, Mr Ridha Fekih Director General of Forests, Ministry of Agriculture Environment and Water Resources, Tunisia,  Ms Catherine Ghyoot of STELLA Consulting External LIFE Monitoring Unit  as well as MedWet POlicy Advisor Mr Nejib Benessaiah.

After a short visit of the project site a meeting was held in the new Environment Education Center of Kondar where site manager Mr Mohamed el Ouafi gave a detailed presentation o­n work progress.  Acknowledging the innovative component of the project’s character, involving three North African countries (Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria) Mr Julien remarked o­n the demonstrative potential inherent in this LIFE project and observed the need to ensure dissemination of project methodology and replication of lessons learned wherever relevant.
 
On September 16 the European delegation in Tunis and the Directorate General of Environment organised a o­ne day information event held in Hotel Renaissance, Tunis involving representatives of all LIFE projects implemented in Tunisia. During the event discussions focused o­n procedures and goals of LIFE programmes. The MedWet project was presented by Nejib Benessaiah alongside three other projects in the plenary session of the meeting.

Updated on 8/21/2006 5:03:54 PM.