“World water consumption is growing at a frenetic rate…more than 900 million people in the world still do not have access to sufficient drinking water resources, including 340 million in sub-Saharan Africa. In such a context, good water management is more essential than ever.”
With these words, Patrick Gilabert, Head of the Brussels office of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), set the scene for a webinar discussion of innovative solutions to water challenges through technical skills development, private sector engagement, technology transfer and digitalisation.
The webinar, organized together with the H2O Maghreb project team from Morocco, brought together public, private and development stakeholders working in water and sanitation. The bilingual event was moderated by Philippe Scholtès, Special Advisor to the UNIDO Director General. One hundred and fifty participants from around the world participated and engaged in knowledge sharing and questions and answers.
H2O Maghreb is a public-private development partnership initiative implemented by UNIDO and supported by FESTO Didactic SE, EON Reality, the International Institute for Water and Sanitation of the Moroccan National Office for Drinking Water and Electricity (ONEE), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), with the objective to improve water management practices in Morocco. The H2O Maghreb project has been improving the skills and employability of young Moroccans by providing them with a market-driven training programme using cutting-edge technologies.