Global water leaders will share the latest innovations in water management and learn about the growing commercial opportunities in the Mena region at the International Water Summit (IWS) in Abu Dhabi next month.

“IWS is a meeting of the minds,” said Hassan A Arafat, a professor at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the world’s first graduate-level, research-driven university dedicated to advancing real-world solutions to issues of sustainability.

“No other conference unites the full spectrum of stakeholders – from researchers and economists to end users – required to seriously solve the world’s pressing water issues. Water security is a common problem and IWS enables the exchange of ideas that enables effective, viable action.”

Entitled ‘Promoting Water Sustainability in Arid Regions,’ IWS will examine the water-energy nexus and its long-term implications on regional and global food security and energy savings.

The exhibition and conference running from January 19 to 22, takes place during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW), hosted by Masdar, Abu Dhabi’s renewable energy company. IWS is also supported by Abu Dhabi Water & Electricity Authority, the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi, the Regulation and Supervision Bureau and Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company.

IWS comes at an important time as MENA governments are ramping up desalination capacity in order to meet rising demands – a result of the region’s economic growth and expanding populations.

Experts say part of the solution to addressing water security is through the deployment of innovative, new technologies that increase desalination capacity, while reducing the energy needed to process seawater into potable water.

Dr Abdurrahman M. Al-Ibrahim, governor of the Saline Water Conversion Corporation of Saudi Arabia, said: “IWS is an opportunity to bring together – at one platform – engineers, researchers, scientists, developers, technologists, manufacturers, public utilities, companies and more to discuss emerging opportunities to tackle regional and global water challenges. The platform, which encourages public-private cooperation, results in meaningful research and joint actions that accelerate projects into the field.”

Leading NGOs view IWS as a premier event to facilitate the dynamic commercial partnerships needed to implement to goals set by policy-makers.

Najib Saab, secretary general of the Arab Forum for Environment and Development, said: “IWS plays a crucial role to bring together policy makers and experts from the corporate sector to exchange ideas and to propose actions. It’s also a perfect platform to disseminate public awareness on the issues of water management and security.”

IWS is a key element of ADSW, which also includes the eighth World Future Energy Summit and the second EcoWaste, in association with Tadweer, Abu Dhabi’s Centre of Waste Management. The fifth assembly of the International Renewable Energy Agency and the seventh Zayed Future Energy Prize Awards ceremony will also take place during ADSW. – TradeArabia News Service