Dr. Marianne Saba, Researcher at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, participated in the World Water Week Conference in Stockholm. Her involvement was under the MENA Region focus of the conference where she contributed to the session entitled “Mediterranean Youth Unite around Water”. Dr. Saba shared her insight on the topic being active in the field academically and working closely with the local community.

In her intervention, Dr. Saba emphasized the role of youth in active engagement and advocacy for good practice in water usage and water policy. She highlighted the importance of supporting a systematic approach for youth engagement across the development spectrum for both meeting their demands and achieving the Agenda 2030. Citing her own experiences working in the field of Water in the MENA Region, Dr. Saba highlighted many Lebanese and regional efforts in this respect as success stories.

The World Water Week is one the world’s most influential worldwide annual gatherings on water. Organized by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the conference brings together leading experts, practitioners, decision-makers, business innovators and young professionals from a range of sectors and countries to network, exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions to the most pressing water-related challenges of today. The conference covers hot topics like water sustainability, climate change, food security, and innovative technology. Under the theme “Water for society – Including all” the 2019 event is held between 25 and 30 August in Stockholm. It brings together 3364 participants and 1196 organizations from 127 countries. With a multitude of panel discussions, presentations, and exhibitions, the conference includes more than 227 sessions.

In addition to her research in water quality and environmental analysis, Dr. Saba works closely with the Ibrahim Abdel Al Foundation for Sustainable Development (IAAL) where she sits on the scientific committee and is Vice President of the Youth Committee. Dr. Saba’s involvement with the foundation stems from its close ties with the university and a long history of cooperation projects.

Commenting on her experience, Dr. Saba stated: “The world water week was a unique opportunity to interact with global leaders in the field and to exchange experiences. I'm proud to have introduced the work done in Lebanon with IAAL foundation and the University of Balamand in particular in this scope.”

In turn, the Vice President for Internationalization & Engagement and Dean of Engineering, Prof. Rami Abboud, asserted that such involvements are vital to expose the work done at the University of Balamand to the world. He assures that the importance of water remains a main area of focus for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Balamand. “We look forward to enhance our knowledge whilst sharing our expertise to promote research and enhance development of solutions not only to our beloved Lebanon but the regions most pressing problems, paramount amongst which is the issue of water”.