The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Participates in the Arab Water Convention

Dubai, 20 February 2023 – The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently took part in the Arab Water Convention, held in Dubai from 20 and 21 February. The conference was attended by delegations from Arab counties, and professionals and experts from various industries, who gathered to share their insights and knowledge on “non-conventional water resources, business opportunities”. 

FAO was delighted to take part and actively participate in the Convention, which provided a valuable platform for exchanging state-of-the-art technologies, advanced applications, and successful practices for facing the rapidly increasing water challenges. Represented by FAO’s Subregional Office for the Gulf Cooperation Council States and Yemen (FAO-SNG), Dr. Waleed Abouelhassan, Senior Water Resources Management Officer stated during his intervention at the conference "Strengthening governance mechanisms for the demands of water, food, and agriculture is one of the major global challenges that FAO and the international development community are facing. In collaboration with other organizations, as well as countries (i.e., Maghreb, KSA, and UAE), FAO established successful cooperation within and between countries in the area of water scarcity, including non-conventional water reuse solutions.” 

He continued “Fragmentation and overlaps of responsibilities among entities working on Treated Wastewater (TWW) reuse has been important challenges as it resulted in long periods of inaction, stalemate, disagreement, negotiation, and complex interagency agreements that made the resulting TWW reuse far more costly and complex than it needs to be.”