GWP-Med helped prepare for the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on Water, held in December 2008 at the Dead Sea, Jordan. Within the MED EUWI framework, GWP-Med organised the preparatory Water Directors Conference in July 2008 in Athens. Participants at this conference discussed papers on four themes: water governance, climate change, water financing, and water demand management. The first two of these papers were drafted by GWP-Med. The Water Directors recommended that a comprehensive water strategy for the Mediterranean should be developed.
Also in preparation for the Ministerial Conference, GWP-Med together with other partners organised the Civil Society Conference in December. The conference offered stakeholders the opportunity to share experiences on issues such as public participation, technical matters and private sector engagement. A declaration from the ministerial conference provided important recommendations for IWRM and water supply and sanitation, stated an agreement to elaborate a new water strategy in the Mediterranean within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean, and encouraged enhanced collaboration among water organisations and initiatives.