We extend a warm welcome to each of our colleagues from around the
world who have journeyed to the City of Dundee for the first American Water
Resources Association (AWRA)
Conference held outside of North America. Some
of you are well familiar with the meetings of our host, the International Water
Law Research Institute (IWLRI) in the University of Dundee’s Department of Law
and have participated in the water law seminars in previous years. Others may be
in Scotland for the first time. We
urge you to take some time to relax and enjoy the wonderful countryside, the
historic and cultural resources, and especially the people, while you are here.
This International Specialty Conference on “Globalization
and Water Management: the Changing Value of Water” will examine a number of
critical issues that will directly affect the success to which integrated land
and water resources management is implemented
throughout the world and the degree to which we are able to work together
to address the growing global water crisis. How do we address the new challenges
facing the international community in the management of its rapidly diminishing
fresh water? What are the issues arising out of the current emerging trend of
globalisation? To move forward, we first must have responsive and responsible
national, transnational, and international legal frameworks and associated
regulations that effectively identify, allocate and provide mechanisms to manage
water (and land) resources and which seek to avoid conflicts over water.
Second, we need financial resources to develop water
infrastructures that will allow societies to meet the water needs of their
peoples. It is now evident that
governments cannot do this alone. It
will take private-public partnerships and access to financial markets to achieve
sustainable development. The mechanics of how this will be done is very
controversial, especially the premise that water must be treated as an economic
good. The “rules of the game”
need to be defined and new funding mechanisms developed to meet the growing
demands of water.
Third, scientific understanding and information about a
particular watershed is crucial to choosing the right management tools that will
successfully meet water demands and protect aquatic ecosystems.
Too often, managers are out of touch with recent management technologies
available from the scientific community and the scientific community is unaware
of the technical needs of water managers.
Finally, education at all levels, including the education of
citizens and an effective mechanism to ensure long term capacity-building
in-country, is necessary to develop and improve the skills need to manage water
and land resources in today’s environment.
Education is a life long journey and new approaches must be implemented
to deliver information and knowledge to those who need it. One of the goals of
this meeting is to seek innovative solutions that might address this crucial
need.
Addressing these elements will no doubt require political
will and commitment. However, the process is complex, with necessary interface
between and among a myriad of disciplines and areas of expertise. It is hoped
that the Dundee meeting will help us all to find new ways forward in the
difficult challenge of operationalising an interdisciplinary approach capableof
meeting global water issues.
This conference has oral and poster papers that will address
each of these issues and more. In
addition to the oral presentations and poster sessions, we have scheduled
plenary presentations about the Hydrology, Environment, Life, and Policy
(HELP) initiative and a morning workshop on “The Essential of Private Sector
Participation” in water projects. Each
session will be have a rapporteur who will summarize the high points of
discussions during each session and the Conference will conclude with a panel
discussion of the critical issues raised and addressed during the meeting and an
open discussion by participants.
Welcome
again to Dundee and enjoy your stay. We are very pleased to share this unique
experience with you!