ICARDA at the WEFE4MED Nexus Community of Practice Launch in Cyprus

The WEFE4MED project is made possible through generous funding from the PRIMA Program and support from the European Union.

September 25, 2024 , Cyprus– ICARDA, a partner in the WEFE4MED Project,  was excited to attend the launch of the WEFE Nexus Community of Practice (NCoP) by the Cyprus Institute.

The WEFE4MED Project aims to implement a Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems Nexus approach across the Mediterranean region through a Nexus Community of Practice (NCoP) , bringing together diverse stakeholders to address accelerating climate and environmental challenges affecting societies and agro-ecological systems. The NCoP will convene, share knowledge and build capacities by deploying best practices and science-based policies and innovative solutions, showcasing the benefits of integrated natural resource management for sustainable, climate-resilient development in the Mediterranean. Within this project, ICARDA will lead an internship program, organize a summer school for practitioners, and actively promote membership within the community.

 During the launch event, stakeholders from academic research institutes, the public sector, policymakers, and private business partners shared several WEFE Nexus demonstration projects and living labs. They held critical discussions on how the WEFE4MED Nexus Community of Practice (NCoP) will engage, provide joint support and services, and ensure collaboration, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for WEFE Nexus policy transitions. In a session led by Charles Kleinermann, Team Leader of the Capacity Development Unit at ICARDA on Finance Practice Group, he emphasized the need to move beyond a project-based approach toward a long-term, programmatic perspective that connects project outputs through broader knowledge sharing and capacity development.