His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, today (September 4) announced plans to establish the Global Water Organization with headquarters in Riyadh.
A key entity, the Global Water Organisation aims to integrate and enhance the efforts made by governments and organsations in securing global water sustainably.
One of its most important goals is to establish quality projects and facilitate their financing, in an effort to ensure the sustainability of water resources and to enhance access to them for all, reported SPA.
It also plans to exchange expertise, advance technology, foster innovation, and share research and development experiences. Moreover, it will promote the establishment and funding of high-priority projects, ensuring the sustainability of water resources and their accessibility for everyone.
By initiating the establishment of the organisation, the KSA emphasises its commitment to addressing global water supply challenges. The initiative is aligned with Saudi Arabia's dedication to environmental sustainability, said the SPA report.
Over the years, Saudi Arabia has spent over $6 billion on various water and sanitation projects covering four continents across the globe, thus showcasing its notable achievements in water production, transportation, and distribution, leveraging locally developed innovative solutions.
According to senior Saudi officials, these achievements have been internationally recognized. "Additionally, Saudi Arabia plays a key role in ensuring that global water issues remain a top priority on the international agenda," they stated.
The organisation aims to collaborate with countries facing water-related challenges and those prioritising such projects on their national agendas. This collaboration will also involve countries with significant expertise and contributions to water solutions.
Such cooperation becomes even more vital with projections of the global water demand doubling by 2050, in light of the anticipated growth of the world population to 9.8 billion, they added.
The Kingdom, with all of the organization’s member countries, seeks to contribute to achieving the water security-related sustainable development goals, creating an integrated and long-lasting impact by bringing the international community together to ensure global water sustainability for humanity.