Professor of Water Resources at the Arabian Gulf University (AGU), Dr. Waleed Zubari, is participating in the First Arab Forum held at the Jordanian University of Amman on water scarcity and its management in arid and semi-arid regions under the title “Innovation for Sustainable Water Management,” organized by the Department of Science and Scientific Research at the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) in cooperation with the Jordan National Commission for Education, Culture and Science and the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Jordan.
The forum will be held between February 7 and 8 with the participation of a group of experts, academics and researchers from the Arab world who will discuss the reality of the water scarcity crises among Arab countries which are classified among the most water-scarce regions in the world. This comes amid urgent calls for reform and accelerated adoption of sustainable policies for water management, based on the results of scientific research at regional and international levels. Most countries currently place unprecedented pressure on water resources and estimates indicate that the continuation of these practices will cause a shortage of up to 40% between the expected demand and the available supply of water by the year 2030.
The forum aims to contribute to the development of Arab capabilities in preserving water resources as well as reviewing Arab and international experiences in an effort to achieve sustainable development goals, especially the sixth goal, which stipulates ensuring the availability of water and sanitation services for all and their sustainable management. Additionally, it will highlight technical opportunities and challenges, besides economic, institutional and environmental issues related to protecting water resources in order to engender sustainable change while facing developmental challenges in the Arab world.
The forum will discuss good governance and integrated management of water resources, innovation and technology to confront water scarcity, in addition to reviewing modern concepts in water management and mechanisms for developing and spreading innovation. The forum’s sessions will conclude with a discussion panel regarding the vision and perspective of youth on water scarcity.
Dr. Waleed Zubari will speak about managing the water-energy-food nexus in the Gulf Cooperation Council during the fourth session titled “Modern Concepts in Water Management”. He will address key issues that hinder this approach in the Arab region and how to overcome them in the areas of governance, appropriate institutional arrangements, linking of science to policy, capacity building, and the role of the private sector.
