PSIPW Chairman, HRH Prince Khaled Bin Sultan, gave the opening address at the 4th Arab Water Forum on 27 November, in his capacity as the Arab Water Council’s honorary president.
The title of this year’s forum was: "Partnership in Water: Together in the Pursuit of Arab Water Security". Prince Khaled said that this ambitious goal can be realistically achieved, but only if we can cultivate in the region a robust culture of cooperation, understanding and non-selfishness.
Prince Khalid pointed out that most scientists agree there is sufficient fresh water on the Earth to satisfy human needs, but this will require excellent water management and heightened water awareness at every level of society.
He added that water management is an integral component of national and regional security.
He proposed a six-pronged solution: increasing water awareness, achieving a high political will, adopting an "integrated knowledge management" approach to water, adopting equitable global water governance, harnessing nanotechnology to serve development goals and implementing advanced security measures to prevent the hostile targeting of water infrastructure.
The Forum continued its work on the second day by reviewing a number of themes: water and sustainable development, the interlinkages between water, food and energy, adaptation to climate change, water quality and ecosystems, sustainable solutions to shared water resources, and water in science, technology and innovation.
The forum, which is held every three years, brings together the 22 members states of the Arab Water Council along with partners and water experts from the Arab region and around the world to review issues and challenges within the region’s water sector.