WAMU+NET is organizing a high-level official side event within the upcoming Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum at La Nuvola in Rome, taking place on 2 October 2026, in cooperation with UNESCO Chair in Engineering for Human and Sustainable Development at Trento University and One Water Committee Italy.
As climate change accelerates, safeguarding water resources requires a fundamental shift not only in how we manage water, but crucially in how we educate for its better management. To address this urgent need, our dedicated side event - titled "Water Education for Climate Adaptation: a Global Repository for Present & Future Generations" - will officially launch our new strategic initiative: WAMU+NET’s proposal for a global digital repository as a contribution to UNESCO-IHP (Phase 9).
Developed through ongoing collaboration across our network, this platform will serve as a free, open-access shared toolkit of educational resources, making ready-to-use materials available to educators, schools, museums, and policy-makers across every continent. This high-profile event is designed to give our global network international visibility, serving as a strategic platform to attract new partners, sponsors, and financial resources for the multi-year development of the project, while warmly inviting new water museums and institutions to join WAMU+NET.
Objectives of the Side Event:
Launch the Global Repository: Present the project for a free, open-access platform to share water educational tools provided by museums across all continents.
Share Educational Tools: Address the urgent need to provide practical, ready-to-use toolkits for educators as a contribution of WAMU+NET to UNESCO
Engage Partners & potential Funders: Attract financial resources and new strategic partnerships for the multi-year development of the project.
Foster Institutional Dialogue at Euro-Mediterranean level: Engage with various institutions at national and regional level to integrate diverse approaches to education, resilience, and climate policies.
Expand the Network: Promote the membership of new museums and institutions to the WAMU+NET network to co-create shared contents for the educational platform ‘Water Cloud’.
Agenda:
09.30 - 09:40 | Welcome and Institutional Opening (10 min)
Maria Spena (President of One Water Committee Italy)
Abou Amani (Secretary, UNESCO-IHP)
Miguel Doria (Director, WWAP)
09:40 - 09:45 | Introduction to Climate Adaptation & Water Challenges (5 min)
Marco Merola (Journalist specialized in climate adaptation). Brief introduction on the urgent value of educating on water management in an era of climate crisis.
09:45 - 10:00 | Strategic Vision and Project Presentation (15 min)
Eriberto Eulisse (CEO, WAMU+NET). Presentation of the WAMU+NET network, the Global Repository project ‘Water Cloud’ (an open-access educational platform), and the launch of the Open Call for new museums and institutions to join.
10:00 - 10:20 | Institutional & Policy Roundtable (20 min)
Discussion and interventions focusing on climate policies, resilience, and education.
Francesco Corvaro (Special Envoy for Climate, Italian Government)
Nicola Caputo (Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Agri-Food Export and Internationalization)
Raffaella Pergamo (senior researcher, CREA)
10:20 - 10:25 | Open Discussion (5 min)
Interactive exchange, questions, and answers with the audience and participants
10:25 - 10:30 | Closing Remarks (5 min)
Philippe Pypaert (President, WAMU+NET). Conclusions and wrap-up.
Event Details - Date: 2 October 2026. Time: 09:30 – 10:30.
Venue: Euro-Mediterranean Water Forum, La Nuvola, Rome