Deputy Secretary General Rafiq Husseini advocates for a desalination plant for Gaza in collaboration with Egypt.

The first five-day Arab Water week meeting was held in Amman on 5-9 December 2010 at the Meridien Hotel to discuss Arab Water issues and solutions. Many high profile guests were present including Princess Sumaya Bit Al-Hassan, the President of the Royal Scientific Society, the Jordanian Minister for Water Mr. Mohammad El-Najjar, the Kuwait Minister of Water and Electricity and many dignitaries and experts from the Arab World including NGOs and private companies.

This Jordan meeting was an opportunity for the Deputy Secretary General to meet relevant people in and present them the UfMS objectives and its state of play especially and brief them on the Plan of Action for 2011 for the Environment and Water Division. It was also an occasion for Deputy Secretary General Husseini to discuss with heads of institutional partners and important stakeholders in the area of water and sustainable development in the region the importance of development and financing of future UfM branded projects.

During his visit to Palestine, Deputy Secretary General Rafiq Husseini met with H.E Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian National Authority, who reiterated his keen interest in the building of a major desalination plant for water to Gaza and Sinai, in collaboration with Egypt. This ambitious project would not only provide a much needed humanitarian priority for Gaza, but also utilize innovative technology as well as “Green” sources of energy important for both countries.

Husseini reasserted the importance of developing a project such as the major desalination plant in Egypt benefiting both Egypt & Gaza using renewable energy sources, to be a flagship among Water sector projects.
Husseini also commented that “the lack of coordinated and organized effort during the fires in acres of wooded land in Israel and Lebanon make a project in the area of Civil Protection and Emergency Preparedness to be led by UfM Secretariat another priority that cannot be ignored”.