The conference was launched with an opening statement from the Director of Rafik Hariri Foundation, Mrs. Salwa Sanioura Baasiri who stressed the need to” combine efforts to approach the issue of water scarcity and coordination of visions about the repercussions that lead to develop more effective and sustainable strategies, policies and work plans”. Talking about the seriousness of this issue Mrs. Baasiri pointed to the United Nations' statistics showing that “globally, seven out of ten countries suffering from water scarcity are Arab countries, where the share of renewable fresh water per capita does not exceed 6% of the global average”, adding that “levels of water stress in Lebanon are excessive, equivalent to 4.75 out of 5 points, ranking it 16 out of 167 countries according to the global estimates for 2020".

The Director of Rafik Hariri Foundation marked “the need to a strategic shift away from the trend of dedicating huge investments to increase water supply, towards strategies also merging the improvement of water management ,increasing competencies, rationalization of consumption, which are key requirements for a rational governance, the adoption of sustainable policies, the introduction of necessary reforms in legislation and institutions, the adoption of appropriate mechanisms, motivation to do more research and scientific cooperation and also raising awareness through educational curricula".

On his behalf, Mr. George Awad, Natural Sciences Programme Officer at UNESCO Beirut Office,–considered that “our destiny is committed to our water. In order for us to build the future that we want, we need to ensure water security through the reinforcement of science and innovation, while focusing on:

1. Mobilizing international cooperation to improve the knowledge and innovation to meet the water security challenges;
2. Strengthening the linkage between science policies to ensure water security at the local, national, regional and global level;
3. The development of institutional and humanitarian capacity, for sustainability and water security."

Mr. Awad added that "the role of human behaviour, cultural beliefs and current water attitudes , as well as socio-economic research to better understand and develop tools to adapt to water availability, are some of the issues that must be addressed".

The Natural Sciences programme Officer at the UNESCO Regional Office in Beirut also stressed that "despite the fact that the topic of water is delicate, and complex, we tried addressing the basic aspects in order to build on the efforts made at the policies level as well as the practical steps taken, to translate them from simple suggestions into a tangible reality, and clear steps in the direction of developing a national preparedness plan drought".

Mr. Awad, also explained in brief about the background and objectives of this conference, hoping that everyone could take advantage of the two-day workshop to take place in the UNESCO Office in Beirut, and lay the foundations of this plan.

In his speech for the occasion, Minister of Agriculture HE Mr. Akram Chehayeb warned from the seriousness of the current situation, particularly in terms of "the decline of response policies at the national level". Minister Chehayeb praised the "exceptional importance" of ,this conference, stressing that Lebanon is looking forward for "results that would contribute in the development of scientific plans for water management,and facing climate change and its impact on water sources, as well as pave the way for establishing a water policy that would save it from the danger zone towards a more rational use of the country's water wealth, which requires a scientific management and a rationalized policy".

During Tuesday 15 and Wednesday 16 December, two working days will be taking place at UNESCO Office in Beirut, Sports City avenue (next to Egyptian Embassy). National and international experts will guide more than 50 participants through key topics related to water and drought management, including Water, Climate Change and Sectoral Policies; Water Governance; and challenges associated with water scarcity.

Participants will also agree on a set of recommendations on how to cope with water shortage, better manage water resources, and address related social, economical, and environmental setbacks. Those recommendations will be an essential contribution towards the development and implementation of a national preparedness plan for drought.

The National Conference on "Coping with Water Scarcity" is held in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy & Water, Ministry of Environment, Prime Minister Office, National Council for Scientific Research (CNRS), ESCWA, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Issam Fares institute at the American University of Beirut (AUB), Universite St Joseph (USJ), Texas A&M University, Rafik Hariri University, Association of Lebanese Industrialists, and Ibrahim Abdel Aal foundation.