Today, June 13th, 2023, the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco in Israel and Center for Jewish Impact co-hosted a Diplomatic Salon focused on creating opportunities for regional cooperation through water. This cooperation has become possible thanks to normalization agreements, which created new opportunities to strengthen regional partnerships around emerging challenges in sustainability.
The MENA Region, with its harsh climate, is facing significant water scarcity challenges, requiring innovation to sustain life and promote prosperity in the region. Furthermore, water is considered a sacred element in all Abrahamic religions and has the potential to unite people towards the shared goal of achieving water sustainability. Water bears also a significant potential for investment opportunities that can foster bilateral and regional cooperation between the countries of the region mainly through water technology transfer.
Today's Diplomatic Salon was a forum for tangible next steps, offering further insight into existing regional cooperation and identifying actionable opportunities for building resilience through water. More than 50 guests participated in the forum, taking place in the FISCHER (FBC & Co) offices in Tel Aviv, including Ambassadors, Diplomats, private sector, academia, government, and diplomats operating in Israel, Morocco and the MENA region.
The event, hosted by the Head of the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Israel, H.E. Abderrahim Beyyoudh, and Center for Jewish Impact Chairman, Robert Singer, featured a panel discussion to discuss knowledge sharing and best practices in water usage, desalination technologies, and water for enhancing business ties and regional cooperation, moderated by Raphaele Moog, Head of the Water Technologies sector, Israel Export Institute, featuring H.E. Ambassador Yoram Morad - Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Abderrahim El Hafidi, Director General of the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water (ONEE), Morocco , Yossi Yaacoby, VP for Engineering, Technology & Strategic planning at Mekorot, and Mrs. Narjiss Lamarti Sefiani, Director of the Hydraulic Agency of Melouya, Ministry Morocco.
Furthermore, Israeli companies, and leaders in the Israeli water sector who operate regionally, have shared their success stories - Netafim VP and Head of the EMEA Region, Gal Yarden, OdisFiltering CEO, a global leader in water treatment solutions, Sari Eli, IDE Technologies CEO, Alon Tavor, and professor Noam Weisbrod, a Hydrology Professor at the Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Ben Gurion University. Also Adv. Reuven Behar, Partner, FISCHER (FBC & Co) has said his remarks.
Center for Jewish Impact Chairman, Robert Singer, said: "We are glad that our Diplomatic Salon series can serve as a pragmatic platform to promote inclusive discussions and build regional resilience, bringing together Government, diplomats, civil society, and the private sector. The Center for Jewish Impact firmly believes that by collaborating regionally and inclusively is the key for building a better future for all."
Head of the Liaison Office of the Kingdom of Morocco to the State of Israel, H.E. Abderrahim Beyyoudh:
“Our event happens in a critical time when countries of the region are increasingly facing severe drought and water scarcity combined with global climate change challenges. It happens also while Morocco is facing the most serious drought in more than three decades.
In this context and thanks to the Wise Leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has managed to promote successful policies and integrated approach to meet its water needs, through the mobilization of conventional and non-conventional water resources, the management of water demand and its development through structuring projects, including the continued construction of small and large dams to support the dynamics of local development.
We are glad to see a high-level Morocco delegation being part of this importance seminar, which is going to further strengthen collaboration between our two countries on the water, a field that also offers a great potential for investment and business partnerships in the region.”
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