Suqia eyes stronger Asean presence for top global water award
DUBAI, February 10, 2021
The UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) has launched a promotion campaign in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) region to boost participation for the third cycle of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award.
Addressing a virtual media briefing, Suqia said the upcoming cycle will grant awards worth $1 million to research institutions, organisations, individuals, and innovators from around the world with the most creative, sustainable and cost-effective technology solutions to address the growing lack of access to safe potable water.
Suqia officials and executives led by Mohammed Abdulkareem Alshamsi, the Acting Executive Director, briefed the media about the objectives of the Award, its categories, criteria and process that will attract more entries from Asean member countries.
"One of the award’s objectives is to discover and find the most innovative solutions that provide communities with access to clean water. This is a basic human right," stated Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the UAE Water Aid Foundation.
The award, which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, reflects the commitment of Dubai and the UAE to help poverty- and disaster-stricken communities.
It is organised every two years and has four award categories. During the previous two cycles, the pioneering projects of 20 awardees, including individuals, pioneering organisations, and research centres, received awards for developing innovative models capable of producing clean water using solar power.
It also highlights Dubai’s belief in the importance of integrating innovation and sustainability into the international movement geared towards solving global water scarcity. Through the award, we intend to support projects and innovations that provide safe drinking water to those communities that lack access to it," said Al Tayer.
"Since its launch, the award has been instrumental in discovering creative and cost-effective approaches to water supply issues. We aim to continue this goal with the staging of the upcoming third cycle," Al Tayer added.
For the third cycle, Suqia has expanded the award's scope to include new technologies that produce, distribute, store, monitor, desalinate and purify water using renewable energy. A fourth new category was added – Innovative Crisis Solutions Award.
It recognises innovations that can provide relief within the critical 48 hours after internationally-declared emergencies. This highlights the fact that rapid access to safe drinking water is a crucial element for survival in crises and natural disasters.
