MENA NWC Update Fall 2014 | Seite 3

Page 3 MENA NWC Update Save the Date! MENA NWC First Biennial 11Congress: 11-13 May in Muscat, Oman MENA NWC will hold its First Biennial Congress on the campus of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) in Muscat, Oman on 11-13 May 2015, concurrent with an international water conference organized by SQU. A rich mix of technical sessions will highlight the progress and results of the Network’s research projects and management activities. The Network’s five Technical Communities will explore current research and knowledge-sharing initiatives and look ahead to the next five to ten years to reassess their action agendas. Young Water Scientists and Water Innovations Fellows will exp lain their small grant interventions. Small group discussion at a meeting of MENA NWC Centers in Muscat, Oman in December 2011. Online Communities of Practice will launch. Researchers will have the opportunity to present scientific papers, engage with current research partners, and meet with new research proposal teams. Attendees can participate in technical trainings and workshops. We expect that the Network’s first detailed annual work plan and first annual progress report to emerge from the Congress. Both will be disseminated widely. MENA NWC Board of Directors Continued from page 1 The Network’s Interim Management Unit received more than 40 nominations for members of the Board of Directors. Current Board Members will elect the Interim Board of Directors by private ballot in June 2014. The inaugural Board of Directors meeting was held in conjunction with IWA’s World Water Congress. Following the Board Meeting, MENA NWC convened a Mediterranean and MENA Forum with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Arabic Countries Water Utilities Association (ACWUA), the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME), and IWA. The Forum explored the challenges water and wastewater utilities face and competing demands on water resources. It brought together private sector entities, donors, governments, researchers, and other key water sector stakeholders to initiate a dialog leading to concrete actions, partnerships, and eventual deal-making. The MENA NWC Board Members served as panelists and facilitated strategic conversations with Forum participants.