On December 4th, 2016, UN Environment Regional Office for West Asia (ROWA) in cooperation with Center for Environment and Development for the Arab Region and Europe (CEDARE) held a networking event for the members of the League of Arab States Joint Committee for Environment and Development in the Arab Region (JCEDAR) in Cairo. The event, held in a friendly dinner setting, also gathered experts in the field who are interested in promotion of cleaner fuels and improved air quality.
Dr Khaled AbuZeid attended the African Natural Resources Centre workshop on how to maximize development outcomes by aiding water governance in supporting their countries.
Dr. Khaled AbuZeid, water expert and Regional Water Resources Programme Manager, has participated in The Assessment Workshop on Governance for situations of competing water demands in Africa, 27th-30th November 2016, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. The workshop was organized by the Africa Natural Resources Centre (ANRC) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) which has a mandate to work with their client countries to advance on capacity development, technical assistance and knowledge development. The workshop acknowledged the social and economic transformative role of water and that improved water resources management and water and sanitation services underpin making progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Similarly, investments in water infra-structures and governance play a critical role to achieve African Development Bank’s “High-Five” priorities related to: food and energy security; industrialization; regional integration; and improved quality of life for the people of Africa.
CEDARE Regional Water Manager and GWP-Eastern Africa Chair, Prof. Khaled M. AbuZeid, has been elected Chair of GWP Regional Chairs. Prof. AbuZeid is appointed Chair of GWP Regional Chairs until the end of 2018. Accordingly, he will be representing the 13 GWP Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs) at the GWP Global Steering Committee as an Ex-Officio Member. The 2nd GWP Global Steering Committee Meeting will be held in Stockholm, GWP Head Office, during the period of 6-9 December 2016.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in 2015 and includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that aim to guide global action a common set of development objectives. The SDGs replace the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were formulated based on the declaration emanating from the Millennium Summit held in the year 2000.
Dr. Khaled AbuZeid, water expert and Regional Water Resources Programme Manager, has participated in MDG+ Initiative: High Level Meeting on the Water-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 01-02 November 2016, Amman, Jordan. SDG-6 specifically aimed to ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. It was supported by six operational targets focused on drinking water, sanitation, water quality, water use efficiency and water scarcity, integrated water resources management and water-related ecosystems. To date, nine indicators have been adopted to support the monitoring of these six targets.
The simplified peer review mechanism (SIMPEER) of national strategy for sustainable Development meeting was attended by Dr. Khaled AbuZeid.
The regional plan on sustainable consumption and production in the Mediterranean (SCP AP) workshop and technical workshop on the monitoring of the MSSD were attended by Dr Khaled AbuZeid