The Minister of the Environment, Cristina Narbona, has inaugurated the summer course “Water: from crisis to cooperation”, which is being held at the Menéndez Pelayo University (UIMP) in Santander, from today until 1 September.

The course, organized by the Ministry of the Environment, will address, in different seminars and round tables, problems related to water that are currently being experienced in the world and that currently, as is the case in Spain, occupy a preferential place in the agendas of many governments and international institutions. These problems have to do with the scarcity of the resource and the conviction that access to quality water is a fundamental human right.

Important figures of national and international stature – from the administration, universities, local authorities, etc. – will carry out an exhaustive analysis of the water situation in Spain and in the world throughout this week, dealing with issues such as new water management, international alliances, new uses, groundwater, drought management, etc. the responsible use of water, the conservation and restoration of rivers, risk forecasting, the participation of civil society in water management or territorial confrontation.

On the other hand, Cristina Narbona and the president of the Spanish Red Cross, Juan Manuel Suárez del Toro, have today signed a framework collaboration agreement aimed at raising public awareness and promoting good practices in the use of water and cooperation projects in areas with a high shortage of this resource.

The agreement will allow collaboration in the protection and improvement of the environment as well as in dissemination, education and public participation in environmental matters. One of the fundamental points of the agreement is the development of projects related to international cooperation in the field of water, as evidenced by the commitment of the Ministry of the Environment in meeting the Millennium Challenges.