The UAE Water Aid Foundation’s (Suqia) board of trustees held its 8th meeting at the headquarters of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA). The meeting was chaired by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the board of trustees of Suqia, and attended by HE Humaid Rashid Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary General of Emirates Red Crescent for international aid and Vice Chairman of the Board at Suqia, HE Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Baili, Deputy Vice Chairman for Academic Affairs and Provost of United Arab Emirates University, HE Dr. Arif Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University, Waleed Salman, Executive Vice President of Strategy & Business Development at DEWA, Nasser Lootah, Executive Vice President of Generation at DEWA, Mohammed Abdulkareem Al Shamsi, Acting Executive Director of Suqia, and Fahad Abdullah bin Afira Al Falasi, Acting Secretary of the board of trustees of Suqia.
After welcoming all, the board of trustees noted that Suqia is working to achieve the objectives set out by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives to combat poverty and disease. Suqia is spearheading research into solutions for water shortages in drought-affected areas by providing drinking water, and clean water from modern techniques, and purifying water using solar power.
The 8th meeting witnessed the first-time participation of consultant Bjørn Kaare Jensen, Chairman of the Danish Water Forum, and Deputy Director for Water Resources, Nature, and Climate, at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS), a research and advisory institution in the Danish Ministry of Energy, Utilities, and Climate.
Dr. Mahmoud Abu-Zeid also participated as consultant. Abu-Zeid is Former Minister of Water Resources & Irrigation of Egypt (1997-2009), Former President of Arab Water Council, and Former President of International Water Resources Association (IWRA). Professor John H. Lienhard also participated as a consultant. Lienhard is a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), one of the top American universities, and is also the Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel World Water and Food Security Lab.
Finn Mortensen also participated as a Consultant. Mortensen is a business editor and writer in the Danish media and also Political/Economic Specialist at the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark. During the meeting, the board reviewed and approved the report from the previous meeting. They also discussed the reports of different international humanitarian aid programmes during 2015-2016. The meeting also highlighted Suqia’s participation in the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition (WETEX), for the second consecutive year. During WETEX, Suqia highlighted its latest research and development projects and humanitarian initiatives.
“We can assure you that all of Suqia projects and initiatives are based on strong scientific research, and the opinions of experts and specialists from all over the world. This allows us to achieve the best results possible, through these projects. This adheres to the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to ensure that science becomes the pillar of prosperity among civilization. We take heed of the thoughts put across by Suqia’s consultants, as they are all scientists, and experts in their fields, and are involved on a number of levels. We are pleased to have been joined by three remarkable consultants, at the 8th meeting of Suqia’s board of trustees, through which we engaged in a number of discussions in regard to several current topics of interest,” said Al Tayer.
The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award has gained a large amount of attention since it was announced by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The award is worth USD $1 million. The deadline for receiving applications was extended to 30 September 2016. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award comprises three categories. These are the Innovative Projects Award (Small and Large projects), the Innovative Research and Development Award (National and International institutions), and the Innovative Youth Award,” said Al Shamsi.
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