Singapore to Host High-Level Meetings in June
Singapore will play host to more than 20 high-level international meetings, forums, award ceremonies, and workshops on the sidelines of Singapore International Water Week, the global event on water solutions that will be held June 23 to 27.
The World Health Organization (WHO) will be holding an international meeting on the fourth edition of its guidelines on drinking-water quality, from June 19-23. More than 20 WHO water quality experts are expected. The guidelines will be used by developing and developed countries worldwide as the basis for regulation and standard setting to ensure the safety of drinking water.
In its capacity as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention, the Singapore Health Promotion Board is organizing a sharing session on 23 June 2008, on "Healthy Cities for a Sustainable Future" to highlight the role governments and nongovernmental organizations can play in building healthy communities.
Also being held for the first time in Singapore is a workshop on new concepts in the integrated management of the urban water cycle, jointly organized by the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Asian Development Bank, and PUB, Singapore's national water agency. The workshop will see participants from Asia-Pacific countries such as China, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia. They will be introduced to state-of-the-art concepts in urban water management and the adaptation and transfer of technology and knowledge to regional mega-cities.
The Global Water Research Coalition will hold its twice-yearly Board of Directors Meeting in Singapore from June 22 to 23. Fifteen of the world's leading water research organizations will meet to update one another on projects in progress, and discuss new research ideas.
The International Water Association Project Innovation Awards, which celebrates excellence and innovation in water engineering projects worldwide, will take place on June 26. The program runs on a two-year cycle with awards for regional projects given out at three regional forums (North America, Europe, and East Asia & Pacific) and awards for global projects given out at the biennial IWA Congress (to be held in Vienna in September). The ceremony in Singapore will present innovation awards for the East Asia & Pacific region.
The inaugural International Desalination Association Fellowship award will be presented in June.
The association's Fellowship Scheme, which was established last year, aims to promote knowledge sharing through the attachment of professionals to major water companies. The value of the Fellowship Award is $10,000. The selection committee has chosen Salah I. Al Khamis from the Saline Water Conversion Corp. in Saudi Arabia, and Jorge Arroyo from the Texas Water Development Board.