Dr. Yasmin Jabaly, Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, took part in the 36th Edition of the AGUASAN workshop. The workshop was organized by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) in Jordan from the 5th until the 9th of June 2022. AGUASAN workshop revolved around the water management within the climate challenges to shed the light upon the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) difficulties, and to cooperate in creating actionable solutions for the MENA region.

Dr. Jabaly participated in this workshop as part of the “wastewater treatment and reuse group”, joined by colleagues from Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Switzerland; together they studied the situation of wastewater treatment in Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. The team came up with the required actions that should be taken and imposed in the listed countries regarding the wastewater treatment. Dr. Jabaly ceased the last day of the workshop by presenting the team’s verdicts and the action plan for the General Secretary of the Ministry of Water and Irrigation in Jordan.

In addition to that, Dr. Jabaly was invited to the launching event of the Sub-résEAU MENA which took place from the 11th until the 13 of June 2022, which was hosted by SDC Regional Office in Amman. The core objective of this event was to stimulate the exchange of experiences among peers, and to enhance the regional network concerning water and correlated topics such as sanitation, DRR, and climate change.

Dr. Jabaly, who represented the University of Balamand, describes her trip as an enriching experience as she expresses gratitude towards SDC for this initiative. In return, The VP for Internationalization and Engagement and the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Rami Abboud manifested the importance of participating in such workshops that acknowledge the problem and focus on the solution. Prof. Abboud proceeded to add, “I am delighted to see our faculty members engaging in activities related to sustainable futures as such activities are essential for passing on these experiences to our students and engaging them in building a better future. Dr Jabaly was the only academic invited by the organizers from Lebanon and this is great credit for Dr Jabaly and the University of Balamand for the sustainable work we are engaged in – taking Balamand to the world and bringing the world to Balamand”. ​

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