Yearly Archives: 2011

Africa Preparations for WWF6, Banjul

Africa Preparations for WWF6, Banjul In preparation for the 6^th World Water Forum (WWF6), on "Time for Solutions", Dr. Khaled AbuZeid, MEWINA, CEDARE, and WWF6 Africa Target 3 Coordinator participated in the stakeholders preparatory meeting organized by the African Ministers Council On Water (AMCOW) during the period 19-21 of December, 2011, in Banjul, The Gambia.

Dr. Khaled AbuZeid, presented the WWF6 Africa Target 3 report prepared jointly with Eng. Mohamed Elrawady, CEDARE. Africa Target 3 calls to "Conduct Regional Dialogues on the 1997 UN Convention on International Watercourses and on the UNGA Resolution 63/124 on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers, and compile points of agreement and objections for wider consensus by 2015".

Arab Shared Groundwater Legal Framework, Beirut

CEDARE participated in the 2^nd Intergovernmental Consultation Meeting for the development of a Legal Framework for Shared Groundwater in the Arab Region organized by the Arab Water Ministers Council (AWMC) of the Arab League and ESCWA in Beirut, Lebanon during the period of 13-14, December, 2011. Dr. Khaled AbuZeid represented CEDARE at the meeting which concluded a draft Convention for Shared Groundwater in the Arab Region, but recommended to have a comprehensive Shared Waters Convention, which would incorporate both surface and groundwater water resources due to the unavoidable interaction between surface water, and groundwater, and even rainfall in cases of renewable shared water resources within a given basin.

The draft convention and the recommendations will be presented the AWMC Executive Bureau in February of 2012.

Eye on Earth Summit, Abu Dhabi – 12-15 December 2011 United Arab Emirates.

CEDARE participated in the Eye on Earth Summit held in Abu Dhabi, UAE during the period from 12-15 December 2011. The Summit was organized by Abu Dhabi Global Environmental Data Initiative (AGEDI) and hosted by Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). CEDARE is the Co-chair of Technical Infrastructure Working Group (WG3).

9th World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Meeting, 7-9 December, 2011 Port Louis – Mauritius

The Meeting took place from 7-9 December, 2011, in Port Louis, Mauritius. It was organized by the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and hosted by the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) of Mauritius.

The meeting addressed, among others, the following topics:

1. Measuring broadband capacity, quality and speed

2. Measuring ICT sector investment, revenue and value added

3. Revisions to the indicators on household ICT access and individual ICT usage

4. Emerging issues such as measuring e-waste

5. Results of the work carried out by the Expert Group on Telecommunication/ICT Indicators (EGTI) and launch of the ITU Handbook on infrastructure indicators

Expert Group Meeting on “Youth Participation in inclusive Economic Development in the Arab Region”, 24-25 November 2011 Vienna – Austria

The meeting was organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) during the period from 24-25 November 2011, in Vienna- Austria.

The Expert Group Meeting (EGM) aims at:

Validating and refining past and on-going efforts for job creation for youth in Arab countries.
Exchanging experiences and building partnerships between stakeholders such as governments, international organizations and development partners, civil society organizations and the private sector.
Exploring opportunities and best practices to enhance productive activities and improve the quality of labor to enhance the overall employability of youth in productive sectors.
Discussing and improving the existing knowledge on youth-inclusive financial services
Identifying gaps and missing links to explore economic opportunities for youth in rural areas.

2nd Arab Water Forum, Cairo 20-23/11/2011

SONY DSC CEDARE had an active role at the deliberations of the 2^nd Arab Water Forum organized by the Arab Water Council in Cairo during the period of November 20-23, 2011, whereby Dr. Khaled AbuZeid, Regional Director for Water, delivered several interventions on Transboundary Water Management, the 2nd State of the Water Report in the Arab Region, the Water MDGs, and the Monitoring and Evaluation program for Water In North Africa (MEWINA) under the umbrella of the African Ministers Council On Water (AMCOW). One of the main recommendations coming out of these interventions, includes the importance of embracing the River Basin/Green-Blue Water approach rather than the Watercourse/Blue Water approach in transboundary river basin management an its associated regional and international legal frameworks which also calls for the amendment of the 1997 UN Convention for the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses.

Sustainable Events Workshop (Egypt Green Days), 15-17th of November, 2011 Cairo – Egypt

On the 15-17^th of November, 2011, the Egypt Green Days program, a series of workshops and seminars aiming to promote green entrepreneurship and raise environmental awareness in Egypt, was successfully held at AUC new campus. The program was co-organized by CEDARE, in cooperation with the UN Cleaner Production Center Regional Activity Center (UNCPRAC) and the School Of Business of the American University in Cairo (AUC) in cooperation with the supporting partners, the Egyptian National Cleaner Production Center (ENCPC) and as representatives of the civil society and outreach to youth, the Green Arm of Nahdet El-Mahoursa NGO, among other supporting partners and stakeholders.