Second World Water Forum Starts at the Hague [Archives:2000/12/Front Page]

The second World Water Forum started last Thursday at the Hague, the Netherlands, and will continue until the 22nd of March. The Yemeni delegation along with journalist and invited Yemeni personalities, are representing Yemen, covering the event, and contributing to the forum. Senior Yemeni official delegation are:
-Jamal Mohamed Badr: Chairman of the General Committee of Water Resources
-Nasser Mohamed Nasser: Chairman of the Monitoring and Investigative Committee
-Abdulmalek Badr: Manager of the Rural Projects in the General Committee of Water Resources
Other Yemeni participants not in the official delegation include:
-Dr. Mohamed Al-Sayyeedi Head of the State Establishment of Water and Sewage
-Anwar Al-Sahooly (Chairman of the Technical Secretariat of Ministry of Electricity)
-3 Journalists (From Yemen Times, Al-Ayyam, and Al-Thawra) in addition to some female participants in Gender and Youth sessions.
Hundreds of other delegate members arrived to discuss various water issues of concern to their countries.
Well over 3500 participants, 158 delegations and 115 ministers gathered in The Hague, Netherlands for the Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference, a unique interactive event and platform for developing sustainable water management.
In response to an extremely bizzare act of protest by a group of activists who had disturbed the opening session of the conference, chairman of the event His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange said, ” During the Second World Water Forum all individuals can vent their opinions on water related issues, but in a civilized manner.”
The Prince got an ovation from the vast majority of the crowd attending the festive opening-ceremony for his improvised speech facing the activist group using the forum to demonstrate against the Itoiz Dam in Spain.
Organizer of the forum Bert Diphoorn said the disturbance demonstrated the open character of the Forum, but he strongly objected to the offensive method the activists had chosen for presenting their statement. Two activists undressed on the stage in front of World Council Chairman Abu-Zeid, preventing him from delivering his speech.
It is expected that the forum will concentrate on political conflicts because of shared water sources. From the Middle East, the delegates of Syria, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, and Palestine will thoroughly discuss ways of resolving water issues peacefully through mediation and treaties. However, the case for Yemen is not of a political background, hence the discussions on water problems in Yemen will be about agriculture, rain harnessing, and harvesting.

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