The WEFE NEXUS in Egypt and the Mena Region Conference, themed “Exploring and Bridging Nexus for a Sustainable Future,” will be held on 13-14 May 2025 at the Future University in Egypt, in New Cairo, Egypt. Organized by the SURENEXUS project, funded by PRIMA, and coordinated by the UNESCO Chair on Sustainability at Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (Barcelona, Spain), in collaboration with PDS, Future University in Egypt and INRA from Morocco, this key event will convene a diverse group of researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and practitioners from across the globe to tackle the growing challenges and emerging opportunities presented by the Water-Energy-Food-Environment (WEFE) Nexus.
In today’s interconnected world, the intricate and interdependent relationships between water, energy, food, and the environment are more evident than ever. This reality is reflected in strategic frameworks and key policy documents from influential organizations such as the European Commission (EC), PRIMA, the United Nations (UN), UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP), and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). While these frameworks acknowledge the importance of the WEFE Nexus, the gap between strategic objectives and real-world implementation remains significant. Practical experiences that successfully translate these strategies into actionable solutions are still limited and not widely recognized. It is within this critical context that the WEFE Nexus Regional Conference emerges, designed to delve deeply into the challenges of implementing the WEFE Nexus.
The conference will explore innovative strategies that bridge this gap, aiming to make the Nexus more than just a theoretical framework, but a dynamic tool for sustainable development. Through a combination of transdisciplinary discussions, sharing of practical experiences and collaborative efforts, participants will work to identify concrete solutions that integrate diverse stakeholders, including gender-focused approaches, effective governance frameworks, and disruptive technologies. Ultimately, the goal is to forge new pathways towards to create enabling environments that harness the full potential of the WEFE Nexus.
Conference Structure
The conference will focus on three key pillars, each addressing a critical dimension of the WEFE Nexus:
Pillar 1: WEFE Nexus Solutions – The conference will highlight both innovative solutions and ancestral resource management systems, including traditional water, energy, and agricultural practices rooted in ecological knowledge and community governance. Discussions will focus on the challenges and opportunities of applying these approaches to sustainable resource management. Participants will explore a wide range of solutions, from cutting-edge innovations to time-tested techniques, along with the role of AI tools in assessing WEFE metrics.
Pillar 2: WEFE Nexus in Governance – This pillar will explore policy frameworks, institutional arrangements, and decision-support systems essential for the integrated governance of WEFE resources.
Pillar 3: Gender and WEFE Nexus – Sessions under this pillar will explore the gender aspects of WEFE resource management, emphasizing women's empowerment and the integration of gender considerations into policies and programs.
Call for Abstracts
The Conference organizers are pleased to invite you to submit an abstract by April 15, 2025 for consideration for the WEFE Nexus Regional Conference. Abstracts must be submitted in English via the mail submission mail (detailed below), considering topics under the three main pillars. Submitted abstracts can be considered for short oral or poster presentations.
The presenting author of the abstract must complete registration by April 20th, 2025 to ensure abstract assessment and inclusion in the Conference Programme.
Each registrant can submit only one abstract for evaluation. The same abstract cannot be submitted by different delegates.
Deadlines
Main Abstract Submission deadline April 15th, 2025
Registration deadline April 20th, 2025
Final Selection of Papers April 30th, 2025
Conference General Programme
May 13
09:30 - 10:00 Registration
10:00 - 10:30 SureNexus Opening Presentation
10:30 - 12:30 Keynote Presentations Pillar 1
12:30 - 13:00 Coffee Break
13:00 - 14:00 Invited Presentations Pillar 1
14:00 - 14:45 Accepted Oral Presentations Pillar 1
14:45 - 16:00 Lunch
16:00 - 16:30 Keynote Presentation Pillar 3
16:30 - 17:30 Accepted Oral Presentations Pillar 3
May 14
10:00 - 10:30 Panel 1: Technical Aspects WEFE NEXUS
10:30 - 11:30 Keynote Presentations Pillar 2
11:30 - 12:00 Coffee Break
12:00 - 13:00 Panel 2: Governance Aspects WEFE NEXUS
13:00 - 14:00 Accepted Oral Presentations Pillar 2
14:00 - 14:30 Closing Session: Conclusions
14:30 - 15:00 WEFE Nexus Award Ceremony
Opmerkingen