International Workshop at Lund University

Filippo Verre - May, 13/14 2025

Filippo Verre, President of AB AQUA, participated in the international workshop "International Workshop on Water Sustainability in the Middle East: Interdisciplinary Perspectives" held at Lund University on 13 and 14 May 2025. The event brought together academic experts, practitioners and policy makers to delve into the water challenges of the Middle East region through a multidisciplinary perspective. The Workshop took place at the Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES), in collaboration with the United Nations University Hub on Water in a Changing Environment (WICE).

During the two days, participants discussed crucial issues such as water scarcity, transboundary resource management, climate adaptation and technological innovations, paying attention to both historical aspects and emerging strategies for sustainable water use. The workshop was an important opportunity to promote dialogue between different knowledge and propose concrete solutions.

Among the most significant interventions, a new paradigm to address the issues of transboundary water management was presented. In particular, the need to shift attention from the traditional focus on rivers and lakes to shared aquifers, underground resources often overlooked but crucial for water security and cooperation between States, was highlighted. These resources require new governance tools, joint monitoring and multilateral agreements.

The workshop highlighted the urgency of integrated approaches that combine environmental sciences, international relations and socio-political analysis. It also confirmed the crucial role of collaborative research in providing effective responses to water challenges in one of the regions most vulnerable to climate change and geopolitical tensions.

The workshop covered a wide range of topics related to water sustainability in the Middle East, thanks to the contribution of distinguished speakers from universities, international institutions and high-level research centers. Discussions ranged from the impact of climate change on water availability to the political dynamics related to shared management of resources, up to technological solutions to improve water use efficiency.

The interventions offered a broad and in-depth overview of current and future challenges, enriched by field experiences, regional case studies and theoretical reflections. In particular, the importance of adopting an interdisciplinary and cooperative approach to address the growing pressure on water resources in a delicate geopolitical context such as the Middle East emerged strongly.

The main speakers of the event include:

- Prof. Zahra Kalantari - Director of the Water Centre at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden.

- Prof. Kaveh Madani - Director at The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH).

- Prof. Dr Zaini Ujang - Former Secretary-General of Malaysia’s Ministries of Higher Education, Human Resources, and Environment & Water; Former Vice-Chancellor, UTM University Malaysia.

- Prof. Nima Shokri - Director at the Institute of Geo-Hydro-informatics, Hamburg University of Technology, Germany.

- Prof. Osama Ali Maher - World Health Organization.

At this link, it is possible to consult the slides used by Dr. Verre in his presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a-7Z06551fidcnHNhpF0S_weeCrxRriA/view?usp=sharing.

Below are some images of the event: