Austrade media release
21 October 2010
Rising population pressures, reduced rainfall and a scarcity of freshwater - it’s a combination that Australians are all too familiar with, but a visiting delegation representing seven Arab nations are exploring how some of Australia’s innovative water management solutions could be applied to help stem their own looming water crisis.
Austrade Senior Trade Commissioner for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Kym Hewett said the study tour for water experts this week was jointly organised by the Arab Water Academy, World Bank and Austrade.
“The level of renewable water in the Middle East is one fifth of the global average per capita supply and fourteen of twenty MENA nations are classified as being in water deficit,” said Mr Hewett.
“Consequently, improved water management is the major issue facing most Arab states and weighs heavily on public expenditures in the region.
“MENA governments, decision-makers and planners are increasingly committed to managing water demands while assessing opportunities to conserve existing resources and develop new ones- this presents opportunities for Australia to capitalize on our unique expertise.”
Tour leader and Arab Wáter Academy Director, Dr Asma El Kasmi, said in Australia, the extreme climate related challenges have led to the design and implementation of innovative solutions to best manage the resource while taking into consideration the environment, the economy and sustainability.
“In response to climate change, this island continent has witnessed a revolution in awareness that enabled a variety of water policy and management initiatives,” said Dr El Kasmi.
“The study tour will focus on water policy, irrigation efficiency and water reuse and will look at important lessons learnt and best practices that we can take away from the Australian experience.”
The study tour will visit the ACT, Victoria and South Australia and will involve meetings with Federal and State Governments and industry experts. It is proposed to follow this inbound mission with an outbound delegation of Australian specialists to follow-up on opportunities for collaboration.
AWA – Arab Water Academy is funded by the UAE, the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and is supported by the Arab League’s Water Ministers Council. It aims, through state-of-the-art executive education and capacity development programs, to accelerate the shift from a focus on water supply augmentation and direct service provision to integrated water management and service regulation.
The delegation includes:
- H.E. Eng. Abdul-Rahman Fadhel Ali Al-Eryani, Minister of Environment & Water, Ministry of Water & Environment, Yemen
- Dr Abdelkawi Ahmed Mokhtar Khalifa, Chairman, The Holding Company for Water & Sanitation, Egypt
- H.E. Dr Hassan Janabi, Ambassador to UN Agencies, Ministry of Agriculture, Iraq
- Eng. El Sheikh Rebhy Ata, Deputy Chairman, Palestinian Water Authority, Palestine
- Eng. Ferida Boukabeb Ep Ezzine, Director of Plantification and Projects, National Sanitation Utility, Tunisia
- Eng. Aflihaou Abderrahmane, Deputy Director of Ministry of Water Resources, Algeria
- Eng. Hamid Jaafari, Head of Division of Feasibility Studies in the Planning Directorate, National Office of Water, Morocco
- Dr Asma El Kasmi,Director, Arab Wáter Academy Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Eng Claire A. Kfouri, The World Bank, Washington DC, USA
Interviews are available with:
Dr Asma El Kasmi, Director of the Arab Water Academy (AWA), based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Mr Kym Hewett, Senior Trade Commissioner, Middle East North Africa, Austrade.
ENDS
Media contact
Samantha Mattila ph: + 61 (0) 2 9392 2388 m: + 61 (0) 434 567 673
|