A top UN official will discuss the potential water crisis facing the Middle East during a major conference to be held in Bahrain later this month.

UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) executive secretary Bader Al Dafa will be a keynote speaker at the 74th District Conference of the Rotary International District 2450, being held at the Gulf Hotel's Gulf Convention Centre from April 29 to May 2.

More than 1,000 Rotarians from 10 countries in the Middle East and Africa will attend the event, to be held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander.

Al Dafa will be joined by Arabian Gulf University academic affairs vice-president Professor Waleed Al Zubari and other experts to discuss water scarcity and related problems.

The conference will also focus on health, hunger, literacy and the role of the media in the community.

These issues will be addressed by other top UN figures, prominent regional leaders and a top media personality.

'It's important for us to understand these issues globally, in our region and in our countries,' district governor Nijad Al Atassi told our sister newspaper Gulf Daily News (GDN).

'Interaction between speakers and Rotarians will help us know how to help our community.'

Al Atassi said Rotary District 2450 was already involved in water-related projects and the latest example was a water filtration initiative conducted by the Rotary Club of Saida, Lebanon.

He said the club had provided a filtration system for drinking water in four public schools in Saida and 14 more were on the way.

'Our motto is 'Service Above Self', so knowing the problem that exists in our community will show us which areas we can contribute,' said Al Atassi.

'Our community is in need of a lot of support in different areas. In our district, many face a lack of clean drinking water.

'If the speakers can highlight the whole problem of water and the UN and governments' strategic solutions, Rotary can help support sanitation projects.'

An opening ceremony, with each country symbolically represented by certain themes, will be held on April 29 at 6pm.

The conference will conclude with a ceremony on May 2 at 11am.

Programme

The programme also includes visits to Bahrain's tourist spots, entertainment and other social and business meetings.

Separate activities have been organised for the spouses who may not always be part of the Rotary's main business discussions.

Rotary International is divided into several administrative districts and Bahrain is part of District 2450, which consists of 10 countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.

The region now includes Palestine following the establishment of the country's first Rotary club in Ramallah.

Bahrain has been given the opportunity to host the conference once in every eight years and the last time was April 2002.

The 73rd conference was held in Egypt last year.

The Rotary Conference is supported by the ministries of Culture and Information, Health and Interior, as well as the Economic Development Board, Mumtalakat, GDN, Bapco, Batelco, Chevron, Bahrain National Insurance, E K Kanoo, Banagas, United Nations Information Centre (UNIC) and Rotary Club of Dubai president Saeed Matar Bin Belaila.-TradeArabia News Service