The National Water and Energy Center of the United Arab Emirates University is organizing the second edition of the International Conference “Water Resources Management and Sustainability: Solutions for Arid Regions” from February 26 – 28 2024 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The first conference was organized in March 2022 and gathered the attention of many researchers and professional from more than 50 countries.

The conference aims to discuss water issues and address the future challenges. Furthermore, it discusses advanced sciences, innovative technologies, best practices that contribute to the future of water resources management and sustainability in arid lands and semi-arid lands.  Through its various sessions it addresses the current and future challenges and priorities for managing the limited water resources efficiently where a number of worldwide leading experts, scientists and policymakers are invited to give primary lectures. The conference will also promote the image of UAE University globally as one of the leading research universities in the different fields related to water resources.

Prof. Ahmad Ali Murad, the Associate Provost for Research at UAE University and Chairman of the Conference noted that the conference covers many themes including: water resources management, advanced technologies in water resources, climate change and hydrological processes, unconventional water resources, water sustainability, and water quality. The conference received more than 400 submissions including 48 full length papers. 290 abstracts were accepted to be presented at the conference as oral presentations and posters. The number of registered participants in the conference exceeds 350 in addition to professionals and specialists from UAE.  

Prof. Ahmed added that the conference contributes to the university’s vision to support development and improvement. It also comes in line with the United Arab Emirates advanced technologies 2031 agenda and the United Arab Emirates 2036 water security strategies. This conference will contribute to reducing the gap between the scientific research and the private sector. Prof. Ahmed highlighted that the water deficiency constitutes a main challenge to sustainable development in many countries and that the challenges related to the use and management of water resources remain unresolved. Moreover, the unavailability of freshwater in drylands and semi-drylands is a major challenge for sustainable development in such areas. He also added, that population growth, increase of the per capita water consumption, improvement of standards of living, urban and industrial growth, agricultural activities and climate change are all adding pressure and challenges to water resources availability and sustainability.  

Prof. Mohsen Sherif, Chair of the scientific and organization committees of the conference reported that the conference’s agenda extends for five days including three days for the keynote and technical sessions, one day dedicated to workshops and the last day is allocated for field visits. Through its various sessions, the conference will discuss the current challenges and priorities in managing the limited water resources in arid and semi-arid regions. The main objective is sharing the scientific and technological developments in the field of water management. He added that this scientific event will provide the opportunity for decision makers, specialists, technicians, managers, and researchers in the field of water resources to meet and share different experiences, build new partnerships, and discuss practical solutions to resolve future challenges related to water resources management with a focus on solutions that are suitable for arid and semi-arid lands.

Dr Dalal Al Shamsi, Director of The National Water and Energy Center, highlighted that this conference represents an important and a major scientific event in the field of water resources in 2024. It provides a platform to exchange and present new visions and to introduce innovative technologies and practices that will improve the future of water resources management and sustainability in worldwide and specifically in arid and semi-arid regions. It will help to explore suitable solutions for future challenges in the field of water resources management and sustainability.

This conference represents an exceptional international platform for presenting ideas and research findings in a high level academic discussions. It will be accompanied with two workshops on “Applications of GIS and Remote Sensing in Water Resources” and “Numerical Modelling for Floods”. The two workshops will be presented by experts in the field, at no extra charge for the participants. The conference also includes a social and touristic program.