Water resource and infrastructure summit opened in Dubai this morning by the UAE Ministry of Water and Environment

The summit is held by IQPC, the global provider of tailored, knowledge-driven conferences and is supported by the UAE's Ministry of Water & Environment and the Arab Water Council.

Dr. Mohamed Mustafa al Mulla, Acting Undersecretary for Water Affairs, UAE Ministry of Water and Environment, opened the summit with a welcome address followed by a keynote reviewing Water Resource Management in the Middle East.

Also speaking at the opening session, Mark Sutcliffe, Programme Assistant, Natural Sciences, UNESCO, gave an overview of UNESCO Doha's Water Resource Management Activities in the Gulf Region.

"This conference is a highly relevant event for the Arab region, and it is one well worth attending from our point of view as facilitators. UNESCO is very happy to have the opportunity to take part and to present its activities with a view to inviting partners to assist and take advantage of the vast knowledge networks which it represents in hydrology, ecosystems and marine management,"

said Sutcliffe.

"We are encouraged to see the high level of expertise which will be attending and sharing their experiences, as this shows how far the region has come. The conference will also highlight the challenges which lie ahead, while bringing together some of the best minds available to help start solving some of our common problems."

National and international case studies aimed at successfully evaluating groundwater resources using GIS and geophysical techniques, along with the UAE's dam management projects, strategies to date, and their success were discussed at the summit.

In addition to the two-day summit taking place today and tomorrow at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Dubai, the event will include four solution-finding workshops on October 12 and 15.