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São Paulo – With delegations or their own stands, Arab countries participated with keen interest in the 8th World Water Forum, held by the World Water Council and taking place until next Friday (23) in Brasília. Morocco and Palestine had dedicated areas, and a numerous delegation from the former was in attendance – prime minister Saadeddine Othmani was even a speaker at the opening ceremony on Monday (19).
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce international business executive Fernanda Baltazar and sales executive Carlos Eduardo Von Bulow attended the Forum this Wednesday (21). They spoke with Arab executives and government officials, as well as with personnel from Brazilian companies.
“This was important in order to map out what Brazilian companies are doing, business- and social-wise, when it comes to the water issue,” Baltazar told ANBA on the phone. “We underscored the relevance of this issue.”
The Arab Chamber executive spoke with Moroccans and learned of sustainability-oriented actions underway in the country. Morocco hosted the first-ever World Water Forum in 1997 and is very actively involved in the event’s organization. During each Forum edition, the Kingdom and the organizers join forces to award the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize for conscious use of water.
Delegates from OCP Foundation, an arm of Morocco’s fertilizer manufacturer OCP, are also in Brasília, and Baltazar spoke with them. “The Moroccan presence was very strong, but we also spoke with delegates from other Arab countries, like Kuwait, Oman, Sudan and Tunisia,” she said.
The Arab Chamber executives also sat through panels on the use of water and food security, which is one of the Chamber’s fields of interest. Food security will be a key subject of the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum which the Chamber will host on April 2 in São Paulo.
During the Forum, with support from the Arab Chamber, Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry arranged meetings involving businesses, governments and institutions from Brazil and elsewhere. The Chamber worked to spread awareness to Arab embassies and businesspersons, encouraging the meetings in a drive to enable partnerships.
Baltazar said the experience was a positive one: “We managed to map out who the investors are and to convey the relevance of this issue for businesses in Brazil,” she concluded.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
