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With 11 of the world’s 17 most water-scarce countries in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, more than 10 ministers from the Arab world will be participating in the two-day Arab Water Conference.
The event, scheduled for 20-21 February 2023 at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC in Dubai, UAE, will discuss depleting water tables and looming water crises in the Arab world, and how these challenges can be overcome.
Under the auspices of the League of Arab States, the event will be convened by the Arab Committee on Water Resources, with a special focus on unconventional water resources. More than 600 officials, experts, delegates and leaders will hear from more than 60 speakers who will discuss key regional themes related to water, including in-depth forecasts for future action.
COP27 Outcomes
The convention also aims to bring all relevant parties together in time to start implementing the outcomes of COP27. Governments, financial institutions, the private sector and civil society need an immediate factual dialogue to address this issue.
According to United Nations statistics, about 40% of the world’s population is affected by water shortages, while 80% of waste water is discharged into the environment without treatment, and more than 90% of disasters are related to water. As the Arab region has one of the highest rates of water scarcity, the freshwater situation is dire and governments are increasing investments in water infrastructure.
According to BNC Network, more than 200 million people live in a state of water scarcity, and 160 million people live in a state of absolute water scarcity. Nearly 87 million people in the region lack access to improved drinking water sources and require water from public pipes and sources, especially women and girls.
groundwater level
“Over the past 30 years, groundwater levels in the UAE have dropped by about one meter per year. At current rates, the UAE is expected to deplete its natural freshwater resources in about 50 years,” the World Bank said.
Therefore, the development of desalination projects will continue to be critical to the social and economic development of the Gulf region to meet the increasing water demand. More than 75% of the world’s desalinated water is in the Middle East and North Africa, with 70% in the GCC countries and 6% in Libya and Algeria. Overall, desalination plant projects in the MENA region are estimated at $39.3 billion.
As highlighted by BNC Network, the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 aims to reduce demand for water resources, increase water productivity, improve water use efficiency, and improve water quality by reducing pollution. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is also focused on water infrastructure, with $14 billion in water projects under construction.
climate change
“Climate change impacts will also weigh on water security challenges, potentially reducing renewable water resources by a further 20% by 2030. The Arab Water Convention proposes to facilitate key dialogues to foster collaboration and exchange of knowledge and perspectives, cutting-edge technologies , advanced applications and exchange of successful practices,” said Professor Mahmoud Abu Zaid, Chairman of the Arab Water Resources Council.
“Treated wastewater in the Arab region has reached about 10 billion cubic meters per year and constitutes an important renewable water source. Technical and technical efforts must be made to properly manage its use, whether in agriculture or artificially in groundwater aquifers Replenishment. The quality of treated wastewater needs to be improved to overcome barriers that limit its current use.
“Now more than ever, dialogue between different actors is needed to explore groundbreaking solutions and mobilize public and private action to promote better water quality and ensure sustainability.”
water challenge
Convened by the Arab Water Council to address water priorities specific to the Arab region, the Arab Water Pact is part of a series of regional events addressing the region’s rapidly changing water challenges. The purpose of the Arab Water Convention is to provide a regional and international platform to exchange state-of-the-art technologies, advanced applications and successful practices on specific water priorities in the Arab region facing rapidly changing water challenges.
Prof. Abu-Zeid added: “New business model opportunities for unconventional water resources will be revealed. A world-class water expo to be held during the Congress will also be an additional opportunity to showcase the latest water-related technologies, innovative solutions and equipment , leading to successful business transactions and knowledge exchange. How.”
The 2023 Convention addresses non-conventional water resources (NCWR) and the vast number of emerging business and innovation opportunities that water management has to offer. The Congress will also serve as an exclusive opportunity to foster business contacts with a wide range of senior industry executives, planners, policy makers and the public sector from various Arab countries and international partners.
Multi-stakeholder dialogue
It will include multi-stakeholder dialogues to promote the most effective, adequate and innovative technologies, exchange knowledge, share best practices and ensure the competent transfer of pilot experiences on emerging issues in the Arab region.
To achieve its objectives, the Arab Water Pact will address four key themes, including: an effective governance framework for efficient use of unconventional water resources; smart NCWR – focusing on business opportunities in areas such as digital transformation and artificial intelligence; Financing NCWR business opportunities; and the role of the private sector in promoting new NCWR business opportunities.
The event is considered as an accelerator for the adoption of NCWR in the region, targeting Arab government representatives, international and regional organizations/donors, investors, financial and business stakeholders, policy makers, industrial engineers and experts in different fields of water, climate change The food and energy relationship in . Gender empowerment and youth participation will be an important cross-cutting component of the Convention.
The Arab Water Congress is organized and promoted by GM Events, an internationally renowned multi-faceted event management company based in Dubai, which organizes a number of unique forums and exhibitions highlighting issues facing various economic sectors in the Arab region. — trade arab news agency
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