São Paulo – At least six Arab countries will be at the 8th World Water Forum that begins on Sunday (18) and runs until March 23 in Brasília. Delegations from the region and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will attend what is the world’s largest water-related event, which aims to establish an international dialogue for the establishment of policies and actions related to water.
The forum will be held at Convention Center Ulisses Guimarães with activities and discussions on the topic in many contexts, from water and energy to economy, food, cities and ecosystems, sustainability, among others. There will also be exhibitions, debates between government authorities, discussions focusing on citizens’ participation, among other activities.
Morocco hosted the forum’s first edition and established the award King Hassan II Great World Water Prize, given to professionals that make a difference with their water-related work. The award is a recognition of the actions and stories of these people and will be handed out in Brasília by Morocco’s prime minister, Saadeddine Othmani. Morocco’s secretary of state in charge of Water, Charafat Afilal, will also be at the forum, according to the Moroccan news outlet Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP).
Morocco is one of the Arab countries that is sending an official delegation to the forum. According to information sent by the respective embassies to the Arab Chamber, besides Morocco, Sudan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Kuwait and Oman will also send delegations. According to the Arab Chamber’s executive of International Business, Fernanda Baltazar, the Arab countries historically attend the forum due to the considerable attention they give to the water issue.
“This topic is very sensitive to the Arabs,” says the Arab Chamber’s president, Rubens Hannun. According to him, for this reason, the organization will attend the forum and will always engage with the discussions on the topic. “It’s our role to be well-informed to share these information to them (Arabs) and see how we can transfer the knowledge on this issue,” he said.
Water availability very much concern the Arab countries, especially those in the Middle East, which, due to the desert climate, don’t have large volumes of fresh water. In countries such as Qatar, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, there are projects for the desalination of sea water. The salt is removed to turn it into drinking water.
The Arab Chamber worked to establish some initiatives during the forum, such as a business meeting organized by the National Federation of Industry (CNI) on March 22. In the meeting, foreign and local companies will meet to establish partnerships and attract investments regarding water-related projects. The Arab Chamber invited Arabs to take part in the meetings.
The organization also promoted, among the Arabs, a seminar that the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais (Fiemg) will organize during the Forum on March 20. The event will focus on the attraction of investments for the state of Minas Gerais, especially for sustainability projects.
“The sustainability issue is sensitive and strategic for the Arab countries, it’s something that they debate a lot and a sector in which they have expertise,” says Fernanda. The executive will be at the Forum and will talk to Arab delegations. One of the goals is to offer the Arab Chamber’s support to the continuity of the partnerships made during the Forum.
At least 15,000 people per day are expected to attend the event. The Brazilian edition is being organized by the Brazilian government via the Ministry of Environment, with the support of the National Water Agency, the government of the Federal District and the Regulatory Agency of Waters, Energy and Sanitation of the Federal District (Adasa). The meeting, which takes place every year in different countries, is an initiative of the World Water Council.
Quick info
8th World Water Forum
From March 18 to 23, 2018
Convention Center Ulysses Guimarães – Brasília – DF
Contact: contact@worldwaterforum8.org or 55 61 3039 8530
Website: www.worldwaterforum8.org
Business meeting by CNI: http://www.worldwaterforum8.org/en/business-meeting
Fiemg investments seminar http://bit.ly/2FpsoVH
*Traslated by Sérgio Kakitani
