Energy Minister Heads UAE Delegation To 10th World Water Forum In Indonesia

Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei led the UAE delegation to the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, Indonesia, on Sunday. The event officially kicked off Monday.

The UAE is among 180 countries that participated in the forum, organized by the World Water Council and the Government of Indonesia under the theme of "Water for Shared Prosperity." The participants are government officials and water experts from these countries who gathered to discuss global water challenges.

The delegation from the UAE included Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, and Abdulla Salem Al Dhaheri, UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Indonesia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Non-resident UAE Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of East Timor.

The high-level delegation also included top officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, and the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative.

Speaking at the event Monday, Al Mazrouei said that the "sustainability of water resources has become a pressing issue for the world," adding that the "global water needs have increased sharply, in line with population and industrial growth," according to WAM.

Al Mazrouei emphasized that "the availability of sustainable water supply is increasingly difficult due to environmental degradation and the impacts of climate change."

"We must work together to promote efficient and integrated management of water resources as part of our agenda," he added.

The minister stressed that water is one of the most important national priority issues for the UAE due to the geographical location of the region, scarcity of natural water resources, and high water demand for development purposes.

He pointed out that the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036 takes care of all the water supply chain elements in the country, aiming at "sustainable and continuous access to safe and adequate quantities of potable water, under normal operations and emergency situations."

Talking about the UAE's global water initiatives, Al Mazrouei said that the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative has partnered with XPRIZE, with an investment of US$150 million.

The country also launched the UAE Water Aid Foundation in 2015, known as Suqia UAE, to ensure that underprivileged communities get safe drinking water.