2023-09-11 14:29:00
Al Ain, September 11 / WAM / His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh, Cultural Advisor to His Highness the President of the UAE and Supreme President of UAE University, confirmed that the UAE is committed to achieving each of the sustainable development goals set by the United Nations by achieving a balance between social and economic development and the need to protect our natural resources. For future generations.
This came during the opening speech of the Times Higher Education Forum, “Accelerating the actions of the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals,” related to ensuring the availability of clean water and sanitation services for all within the United Nations program to achieve the sustainable development goals for the year 2030.
The forum comes in a strategic partnership with Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi University, Al Ain University, Trends Foundation for Research and Consultation, and the Emirates News Agency, WAM.
The forum was attended by His Excellency Dr. Arif Sultan Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University of Science and Technology, and Duncan Rose, Chief Data Officer at Times Higher Education.
The forum enjoyed wide participation from experts, international consultants, directors of universities and research centers, specialists in the fields of clean water and sanitation, and international institutions. Among the most prominent participants was Sarah Ahmed, Vice President of the Global Network of Virtual Water Museums supported by the United Nations “UNISCO.”
His Excellency Zaki Anwar Nusseibeh welcomed the participants in the forum, noting that the United Nations has set 17 sustainable development goals within its 2030 sustainable development plan. He said that the UAE recognizes the importance of access to clean water and sanitation as a basic human right, and we are working to achieve the sixth goal. One of the sustainable development goals through a group of initiatives, pointing out that the country has made significant investments to modernize the available infrastructure to ensure access to clean water and sanitation, through policies and regulations that promote water conservation and sustainable consumption.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Murad, Chairman of the Supreme Organizing Committee of the Forum, and Associate Vice President for Scientific Research at the UAE University, said: “This forum aims to highlight the UAE University’s pioneering role in achieving the national agenda, related to the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, through research and innovation.” “And developing academic programs that increase the student’s role as an effective contributor to the growth and development witnessed by the country.”
In the opening session of the forum, entitled “How can clean water and sanitation become available to all,” Professor Peng Wang, from Yan Sun University in China, and Sanjay Swarup, Director of the NUS Environmental Research Institute (NERI) at the University of Singapore, emphasized National… The most prominent challenges facing economic stability is the worrying diminishment of the individual and countries’ share of clean water in many regions around the world, and it is one of the greatest challenges facing the achievement of the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals. They reviewed the possibility of international cooperation to overcome This challenge.
The second session of the forum, which was moderated by Dr. Ahmed Murad, dealt with the topic “The role of universities in promoting best practices to achieve sustainability for clean water and sanitation,” during which the speakers stressed what universities and higher education institutions in countries must offer regarding creating influential frameworks to achieve sustainable development goals. This is done by providing the necessary resources to implement the established plans that realistically contribute to achieving their goals.
Participating in this session were His Excellency Arif Al Hammadi, Executive Vice President of Khalifa University, Sarah Ahmed, Vice President of the Global Network of Virtual Aquariums supported by UNISCO, Dr. Andrew Hursthouse, Professor of Environmental Geochemistry at the University of the West of Scotland, and Dr. Issa Bastaki, President of the University of Dubai.
A third dialogue session was also held to raise a scientific question entitled “Over time: How can the international research community coordinate better to achieve the goals of the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals?” It was moderated by Professor Ghassan Awad, Director of Abu Dhabi University, and it addressed the role of the scientific research community in better coordination. To achieve these goals, what are the best solutions that can be presented and implemented effectively to the clean water and sanitation crisis, in light of dwindling resources and rapid climate change, and how can scientific research centers play a pivotal and effective role in accelerating the achievement of the actions of the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Speaking during the session were Professor Mohsen Sharif, Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the UAE University, Associate Professor J. Paul Chen from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore, Professor Elizabeth Holland, Director of the Pacific Center for Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of the South Pacific, and Dr. Nazih Khaddaj, Vice President. President of Al Ain University for Accreditation and Quality Assurance.
In the evening of the forum, a lecture was held under the title “Smart Facility Management Solutions: Best Practices in the Field of Sustainability,” presented by Ahmed Al-Atrash, General Manager of the Facilities Management Services Company, in which he highlighted innovative solutions, techniques, and technology related to improving and maintaining water quality to enhance the shift toward… Smart cities and sustainability practices.
The participants in the forum reviewed the role of the media and its impact in promoting the achievement of the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, in a dialogue session moderated by Dr. Ali Al-Ghafli, Vice Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at the UAE University, entitled “Clean media coverage: How can the media provide the most accurate expression of the challenges related to “Goal 6 of the Sustainable Development Goals?”
Participating in this session were: Mariette Westerman, Vice President of New York University in Abu Dhabi, Al-Yazia Jassim Al-Hosani, Head of the Media Communications Office, Trends Research and Consulting Foundation, and Dr. Maha Al-Bishri from the Department of Media and Creative Industries at the UAE University.
Another dialogue session was also held within the forum’s activities, entitled “Youth-led innovation for social change” to achieve the sixth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals,” moderated by Sultan Hajji, Head of Public Affairs and Alumni Relations at the Mohammed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence.
The participants reviewed the role of the higher education and scientific research sector in effectively empowering youth and helping them work to achieve the long-term goals of the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals.
Participating in this session were Maysoon Hallaq, Executive Director of the Fatima Bint Hazza Cultural Foundation, Hatem Abu Shamala in the Department of Environmental Health and Safety at Abu Dhabi University, Sultan Khalifa Al-Rubaie, Vice President of the Research and Consulting Sector for the Trends Research and Consulting Foundation, and Isabella Battistillo Espindola, Chief Member Engagement Officer at the International Water Association. in London.
An advanced training course was held by the Times Higher Education Foundation, presented by Duncan Ross, Chief Data Officer, which addressed the performance of universities in the 2023 Impact Rankings, with a particular focus on the activities undertaken by universities to support sustainable practices in the field of clean water and sanitation to achieve the sixth goal of the Goals. Sustainable development, which focuses on reviewing the global performance of universities in addition to their regional strengths and weaknesses.
In the closing session of the forum, Dr. Ahmed Murad and Duncan Ross reviewed the most prominent results and recommendations to achieve the sixth goal of the sustainable development goals for clean water and sanitation, and emphasized the importance of international cooperation and partnerships in finding scientific solutions to water-related challenges, and that international best practices confirm the effective role of scientists. And researchers in academic institutions and universities provide innovations that serve humanity and contribute to providing water for all.
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