UAE aims to prioritize water at the global agenda

The UAE pledged to raise water scarcity up the global agenda at the first council meeting of the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative.

Chaired by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the council also looked at ways to develop sustainable global access to water using breakthrough technologies and discussed priority projects.

It reviewed the initiative's strategic framework based on “accelerating innovation, raising awareness through global outreach, and empowering action”, state news agency Wam reported.

Plans to encourage young people around the world to play their part in addressing the global challenge were also discussed.

President Sheikh Mohamed launched the initiative to tackle global water shortages in February, with an investment of $150 million.

At Friday's council meeting, Sheikh Abdullah, who is also the water initiative's chairman, reviewed the progress of the five-year global XPrize Water Scarcity competition, which is offering $119 million in prizes.

The competition is designed to provide widespread access to clean water by creating sustainable and affordable seawater desalination systems.

Last December, the UAE called for a decisive and co-ordinated international response to the urgent threat of global water scarcity in a comprehensive discussion paper.

The paper was published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. It aimed to serve as a global call to action to work together in new ways to address the challenge.