- 19 Jul 2012
WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH EAST ASIA: TRENDS, CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES
ABSTRACT
The life-sustaining qualities of freshwater supplies, coupled with the integral role they play in economic development, make it imperative that states and societies manage their water resources efficiently and equitably. The already formidable challenges faced by water policymakers and management authorities have only multiplied in an era of relentless population pressures, rampant environmental degradation and accelerating climate change, which are conspiring everywhere to undermine access to water supplies of sufficient quantity and suitable quality. Nowhere are these concerns arguably more acute than in the Middle East region, where annual freshwater availability per capita is one fifth of the global average. At the same time, the diversification of traditional water supply sources through technologies such as desalination, as well as growing popular support for measures to curb excessive water consumption, inspire cautious optimism that doomsday predictions may not materialize. The assembled experts will address water management developments, trends and approaches in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, with a view towards comparing and applying lessons learned.
About the Speakers
Dr. Cecilia Tortajada is the President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico. She has also served as a former Visiting Professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School for Public Policy, the past President of the International Water Resources Association (2007-2009), Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Water Resources Development, Associate Editor of Water International, and member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research. Widely consulted for her extensive environmental expertise, Dr. Tortajada has advised major international institutions such as the FAO, UNDP, and OECD, and has worked in a wide range of countries spanning multiple continents on natural resources and environmental- related policy. She is the author and editor of more than 30 books by major international publishers.
Prof. Asit K. Biswas is the Founder and the President of the Third World Centre for Water Management in Mexico, and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the LKY School for Public Policy and the Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology (India). He is also a founder of the International Water Resources Association and World Water Council. Prof. Biswas has also been a senior advisor to many governments and major international organisations. He is the founder and the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Water Resources Development and has either been the author or editor of 73 books and published over 610 scientific and technical papers. Dr. Biswas has also been the recipient of numerous international prizes and awards. This year he received special recognition for ‘excellence and outstanding contributions to water management’ by the New Global Indian Foundation and was named ‘Water Hero of the World’ by the Impeller Magazine.
Mr. Abdulrahman Al-Eryani served as the Minister of Water and Environment for Yemen from 2006 to 2011. In this capacity, he contributed to many governmental reports and work papers, including the update to the National Water Sector Strategy and Investment Plan (NWSSIP), Yemen’s blueprint for the comprehensive reform of the nation’s water sector. Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of the General Authority for the Promotion and Development of the Yemeni Islands, where he helped coordinate the successful campaign to include Socotra Archipelago in the UNESCO natural world heritage list. In addition to a distinguished career in public service, Mr. Al-Eryani has been interviewed by leading international news outlets, such as the New York Times and Christian Science Monitor, and has produced a series of environmental videos in which he sounded the alarm about natural resources depletion in Yemen.
Event Details
Manasseh Meyer Building
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
NUS Bukit Timah Campus, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259770
