FP Virtual Dialogue: Water Scarcity & Climate Change

Collaborative solutions for a water-resilient future

Global experts have been sounding the alarm for decades that the world is rapidly running out of one of its most essential resources: fresh water. Due to insufficient supplies, lack of infrastructure, or water-intensive practices in agriculture and other industries, many parts of the world already suffer from water stress. Climate change and population growth are exacerbating water scarcity in those regions, particularly in drought-prone areas across the Middle East and North Africa. The number of water-stressed areas worldwide is projected to increase, heightening the risk of famines, economic shocks, and water-related conflicts. 

The tenuous future of our most precious resource is a global challenge and one that demands greater attention by policymakers, scientists, and innovators to create collaborative solutions for a water-secure future. Water-stressed countries such as the United Arab Emirates have prioritized the issue with a comprehensive national water security strategy that includes advanced technologies for reducing water use, increasing water productivity, and improving the reuse of treated water. In other regions, crisis proofing local water supplies will require more cross-sector leadership and investment. What should governments, development organizations, nonprofits, and industry do to turn the water challenges we face into an opportunity for diplomatic engagement and global cooperation?

Foreign Policy, in partnership with the UAE Embassy in Washington, hosted a discussion with the policymakers, experts, and innovators who are at the leading edge of securing the future of water. 

Join the conversation online using the hashtags #WaterResilientFuture and #Aim4C. 

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Event Details

Live stream will begin at 11:00 am EDT

Speakers

Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri

MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOOD AND WATER SECURITY, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Almheiri was appointed as minister of state for food and water security as part of the reformation of the UAE cabinet announced on July 2020. Al...
HE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi
HE Mariam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Muhairi

Christine Dawson

Director, Office of Conservation and Water in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Ms. Dawson is currently the Director of the Office of Conservation and Water in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs in the U.S. Departmen...
FP-Christine Dawson
FP-Christine Dawson

Vahid Fotuhi

Vice President for Europe, Middle East, and Africa, SOURCE Global
Vahid Fotuhi is Vice President, Middle East and Africa at SOURCE Global. His mandate is to secure partnerships with government and corporate entities in the fast-growing sector ...
FP-Vahid Fotuhi
FP-Vahid Fotuhi

Maggie Lake

VETERAN JOURNALIST AND FOUNDER OF MAGGIE LAKE MEDIA
Maggie Lake is a veteran journalist with more than two decades of experience covering business, technology, politics, and international affairs. She started her career at Reuter...
FP-Maggie Lake
FP-Maggie Lake

Michael Mirilashvili

President and CO-CEO, Watergen
For more than 30 years, Mr. Mirilashvili has been leading and directing numerous business ventures all over the world in various fields ranging from real estate, healthcare, inf...
Michael-Mirilashvili-1
Michael-Mirilashvili-1

Dario Soto-Abril

Executive Secretary and CEO, Global Water Partnership
Before becoming Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Global Water Partnership in March 2021, Soto-Abril was Global CEO at Fairtrade International. He sp...
FP-Dario Soto-Abril
FP-Dario Soto-Abril

For more information, contact Susan Sadigova, Vice President of Strategic Development.