RIYADH, 16 March 2006 — Saudi Arabia together with some Gulf Cooperation Council member states and regional organizations will participate in the high-profile World Water Forum that begins in Mexico City today.
A Saudi delegation led by Ali ibn Saad Al-Tukais, deputy minister for water affairs, will attend the ministerial conference to be held on March 21 within the framework of the week-long forum, said Eduardo Nino, consul at the Mexican Embassy in Riyadh, yesterday.
“Meanwhile, a four-member delegation comprising senior officials of the Jeddah-based Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has already left for Mexico to attend the forum from day one,” said Nino, adding that this fourth World Water Forum will be attended by some 13,000 people from about 120 countries including the Kingdom. The key ministerial meeting to be held as part of the forum will adopt a final declaration.
Saudi Arabia, he said, would also participate in the roundtable discussions organized by the World Water Council (WWC) on this occasion. The WWC seeks to promote awareness, build political commitment and trigger action on critical water issues at all levels, including the highest decision-making level. The move is also intended to facilitate the efficient conservation, development, planning, management and use of water in all its dimensions on an environmentally sustainable basis.
Referring to the Saudi participation, the Mexican diplomat said that the visit of the six-member Saudi delegation comes in response to an invitation extended by Mexican President Vicente Fox Quesada to the Kingdom earlier. Saudi participation has added significance keeping in view the depleting water resources of the Kingdom. This problem is likely to worsen further during the next 20 years.
The GCC member states continue to depend heavily on desalination and may one day find themselves forced to import water in large quantities.
The GCC countries are currently experiencing a deficit of 15 billion cubic meters. This will rise to more than 31 billion cubic meters by the year 2025.