THEMATIC PROGRAM OVERVIEW

• National Anthem
• Walk of Dignitaries and Opening Ceremony Act

• IDRA Secretary General
• IDRA President

• Moonshot: Brine Mining: Is it the Game Changer?
• Moonshot: Creating Resilience Through Water Stewardship
• Sustainable Irrigation for Food Security

• Communications: Strategies for effectively engaging the public and stakeholders in understanding the benefits and safety of water reuse and overcoming misconceptions that can hinder adoption.
• Financing: Innovative financing models and investment strategies that support the development and implementation of water reuse projects, ensuring financial sustainability and scalability.
• Governance, Policy, and Regulations: Examination of the governance frameworks, policies, and regulatory environments necessary to promote and regulate water reuse practices across different regions, ensuring compliance, safety, and public trust.
• Technology: Cutting-edge technologies driving water reuse, including advancements in treatment processes, monitoring systems, and integrating renewable energy solutions to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

Moderator: Mr. Michael John Webster, Water Resource Group 2030 Program Manager, World Bank Group

Moderators: Mr. Luis Neves, Chief Executive Officer, GeSI, Belgium

Climate change is reshaping the global landscape, with profound implications for the interconnected systems of water, energy, and food. This panel discussion will explore how climate change intensifies the strain on these vital resources, leading to water availability, agricultural productivity, and disruptions in energy systems. Experts will discuss the critical challenges climate change poses, including water scarcity, energy demands, food security risks

The conversation will focus on:

• The interdependence of water, energy, and food systems
• The impacts of climate change on resource availability and resilience
• Solutions and innovations in sustainable energy, water management, and food production
• Policy interventions to enhance resource efficiency and reduce carbon footprints
• Strategies for building climate-resilient systems and ensuring equitable access to resources

By highlighting cross-sector collaboration and technology-driven solutions, this discussion aims to inspire actionable steps toward addressing the critical challenges at the water-energy-food nexus in the face of climate change.

This session will explore how green financing drives advancements in water security, from innovative funding mechanisms to proper financial tools and partnerships to investment strategies.

Join us for a comprehensive discussion on how public and private utilities can collaboratively address water scarcity through Sustainable project models, Effective financing strategies and Supportive regulatory environments. This panel will provide valuable insights for utilities aiming to enhance their water stewardship and contribute to a more water-secure future.

In this captivating storytelling session, moderated by Jon Freedman, IDRA Vice President, renowned figures from diverse fields will share their personal journeys and unwavering commitment to a sustainable water future. The panel will feature Anthony Tolliver, former NBA player, Nick Maloney, professional sailor, and Nora AlMatrooshi, the UAE’s first female astronaut. Each of these champions will bring unique and inspiring perspectives on the crucial role of water solutions, shaped by their experiences in sports, exploration, and space. The session will dive into the transformative potential of desalination, water reuse, and other cutting-edge technologies in securing a more sustainable future. Panelists will explore how their distinct careers have instilled a deep respect for water systems and fueled their advocacy for innovative solutions that ensure water security in the face of growing global challenges. Through their powerful stories, this session will illuminate the vital intersection of leadership, innovation, and environmental responsibility.

In the face of escalating water scarcity and the urgent need for sustainable practices, industrial water reuse has emerged as a vital strategy for ensuring long-term water security and environmental stewardship to protect our natural water resources and basins. This panel will explore innovative solutions and best practices for end-users seeking to enhance sustainability through effective industrial water reuse systems.

This colloquium features a series of 6-minute talks by CEOs from diverse industries, each sharing their unique perspective on corporate leadership in addressing water scarcity. The format is designed to be fast-paced and engaging, providing concise and impactful insights in 6-minute presentations to be recorded and published as a collective white paper.

With an increasing interest in finding solutions to combat climate change and given global warmings impacts on water resources, nuclear energy offers significant potential to substitute fossil fuels and complement other renewable energy sources for desalination. Nuclear power can provide a stable and dispatchable base-load source of a significant amount of thermal energy for thermal desalination and electric power for membrane processes, unique among scalable renewable energy sources. Both nuclear power and desalination technologies are highly mature: nuclear energy is the worlds second-largest source of low-carbon power after hydropower, and it emits 70 times less CO2 than coal, 40 times less than gas, four times less than solar energy, two times less than hydroelectricity and two times less amount as wind energy. The increasing interest in nuclear energy for desalination is motivated not only by environmental reasons but also by long-term economic and energy security considerations, as nuclear energy provides the users with security of supply and stability in energy prices. In addition, there is a growing interest worldwide in Small Modular Reactors (SMR), which can effectively hybridize with seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) and multi-effect distillation (MED) processes to provide a large quantity of desalinated water. The panel will discuss recent developments and the potential of nuclear energy for clean water and the environment.

Ministry of Water Resources, Egypt, TBC

The World Bank leads ongoing efforts to support countries in developing robust, forward-thinking regulatory frameworks that can foster innovation and ensure sustainable water management for generations to come. As climate change intensifies and global water resources face unprecedented pressures, the need for innovative and adaptive water sector regulations has become more critical than ever. The panel discussion will explore the evolving landscape of water management, focusing on the regulatory frameworks that can support and accelerate innovation in this essential sector.

Moderator: Mr. Zael Sanz, Sr. Water and Sanitation Specialist, World Bank Group

The session will explore how water stewardship contributes towards resilience and adaptation efforts in the face of water insecurity across different value chains and sectors. It will introduce the concept of water stewardship and the collective value it brings to discussions and applications of desalinization and reuse. It will elaborate on why resilience is an important theme for AWS and its growth strategy and how re-use and desalination is explored within this.

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called "forever chemicals," present a significant challenge to public health and the environment. Research reveals associations between PFAS exposures and a variety of adverse human health outcomes, including immune system dysfunction, impaired child development, and cancer. This panel brings together leading experts to discuss the latest developments in detecting, treating, remediating, and regulating PFAS.

The intersection of hydrogen production and desalination presents a unique opportunity for mutually beneficial advancements in both fields. This panel will explore how integrating hydrogen production with desalination processes can lead to enhanced efficiencies, reduced environmental impacts, and the development of sustainable energy and water solutions.

Key topics will include Innovative Synergies, Technological Advancements, Environmental and Economic Impacts, Policy, and Market Drivers.

This panel will comprehensively explore the innovative pathways where hydrogen and desalination intersect, highlighting the potential for groundbreaking developments in both sectors that can contribute to global sustainability goals. As the world faces increasing water scarcity, water reuse has emerged as a critical component of sustainable integrated water management strategies. This panel will convene global experts to explore the multifaceted challenges and opportunities of advancing water reuse practices.

This panel will delve into innovative solutions—including advanced desalination, water reuse, renewable energy integration, and regenerative techniques—that empower the sector to tackle these challenges effectively, all while upholding product quality and safety.

The scarcity of safe drinking water, exacerbated by climate change, is a huge problem for civilization. How can innovative solutions help us continue delivering clean water to all despite the challenges of population growth and climate change?

This session will highlight ways in which young leaders are driving innovation and how empowering the next generation can lead to transformative impacts.

This session will draw on the outgoing and incoming Young Leaders co-chairs to highlight the best of desalination’s past and present, as well as hopes for the future, by drawing on specific desal projects that hold special significance, either to them individually or to the desalination industry.

As well as shedding light on groundbreaking treatment projects, this session is an opportunity to introduce the new intake of IDRA YLP co-chairs to the industry in Abu Dhabi.