Amman- 28 September,2014
Under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal, the German Jordanian University in partnership with Humboldt University and University of Jordan, organized an international conference under the name "SocialWater Studies in the MENA region” on 28 September,2014.
The conference aimed to initiate a stock-taking of social science research on water issues in the MENA region and to illustrate how a social science perspective could be further developed.
HRH Prince Hassan underscored the need for a new comprehensive study to examine the region’s ability to deal with pressures in light of successive crises and increasing waves of forced migration. Inaugurating a conference on “Social Water Studies in the Middle East and North Africa Region”, Prince Hassan, who chairs a High Level Forum for the Blue Peace Middle East plan, stressed the need for pan-Arab strategies that increase the region’s ability and efficiency to deal with crises.
HRH further stressed on the importance of policies that shared by the private sector and non-governmental organizations in the management of water, wondering, "Where is the economic value that could be added to the neighboring population of the gas, oil and water pipelines.
Prince Hassan emphasized the necessary of linking all forms of development with the human dignity, also to achieve equal and integrated independence between oil revenues and population distribution, showing many studies related to water management.
Prof. Natheer Abu Obeid, warmly welcomed HRH Prince Hassan Bin Talal, and all the guests at the GJU campus , saying that it is a quit honor for the university to host important conference and under the patronage of HRH Prince Hassan.
In term of this context, Prof. Abu Obeid outlined that in our region water is very limited and precious resource, especially in Jordan. Moreover, the concept of sustainability need to be promoted by the collaboration of different fields of science, also a mass awareness of the use of water should be part of it especially a cultural and social understanding of human behavior and attitudes towards sustainability.
The president also extended his gratitude to the GJU’s partners of this conference, Humboldt University in Berlin, the team from the Water Energy and Environmental Center in University of Jordan, as well as GIZ and ESCWA for their contributions.
For his part, Mr. Ralph Tarraf the German Ambassador , congratulated the organizers of this conference on gathering an outstanding researchers and scientists, emphasizing that such an important conference is bringing closer the German and the Jordanian in many concerns of water issues.
Mr. Tarraf said that the conference stands out by highlighting the regional dimensions of water issues and many challenges of water sectors in the Mena region in addition to its impacts on the current situation.
Prof. Sari Hanafi from the American University of Beirut gave a presentation entitled “Brocken Cycle between the Academic research and Policy”.
It is worth mentioning that the conference which is lasting for 2 days, will have several panel sessions addressing various topics, the Polices of transforming the water sector in the Mena region and in the Mediterranean, Education about water , Water management and transitions, the behavioral dimensions of urban water use, the water crises in local Palestine, Dynamic, political large scale contexts and water management , Local ground governance in the Mena region , large infrastructures and water, and Local ground water governance in the Mena region.
