The Government of Morocco and the World Water Council launch today the 6th edition of the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize to reward excellence in “Cooperation and sound management in the development and use of water resources.” The winner will be granted a US$100,000 award. The Prize will be handed out during the opening ceremony of the next World Water Forum, to be held in Brasilia, Brazil, 18 to 23 March 2018.

The topic of the 2018 edition is “Working towards greater solidarity and inclusion in order to ensure water security and climate justice.” The contribution may be scientific, economic, technical, environmental, social, institutional, cultural or political.

Candidates must be nominated by at least two individuals and/or organizations with thorough knowledge of the qualities and accomplishments of their candidate in line with the prize theme. Organizations or institutions as well as individuals or groups of individuals are eligible.

Submission Deadline: 30 November 2017

Nominations shall be submitted to the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize Secretariat before 30 November 2017. The online nomination form is available by clicking on www.hassan2gwwp.org

Contact: [email protected]

This Prize honours the memory of his Majesty King Hassan II of Morocco and his strategic vision in terms of protection and sustainable management of water resources. Since its creation in 2003, on the occasion of the 3rd World Water Forum, a permanent committee composed of representatives of the Kingdom of Morocco and of World Water Council members oversees the organization and international promotion of the Prize.

The Jury of the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize – 6th edition:

  • President of the Jury, Charafat Afailal El Yedri, minister delegate to the Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment in charge of water
  • Assia Bensalah Alaoui, ambassador at large of His Majesty King Mohamed VI and Co-Chair of the Economic Cooperation Office for the Mediterranean and North-East part of Morocco
  • Mohamed Ait Kadi, president of the General Council for Agriculture Development
  • Hassan Lamrani, international expert in water, sanitation and irrigation affairs
  • Abdeslam Ziyad, director of Water research and Planning
  • Abdoulaye Sene, president of the Preparatory Committee for the Organisation of the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar
  • Fadi Comair, honorary president of the Mediterranean Network of Basin Organisations; UNESCO-IHP Commission on Water and Human Establishments
  • Diane d’Arras, president of the International Water Association (IWA)
  • Akiça Bahri, professor at the National Agronomic Institute of Tunisia (INAT)

Past King Hassan II Great World Water Prize Winners:

2015 – Abdou MAMAN KANE

Abdou Maman, director of Tech Innov Niger, was awarded the Hassan II Great World Water Prize for his integrated and innovative remote irrigation system. Thanks to a technological device combining mobile phones and solar panels, which allows farmers to remotely control the irrigation of their crops, social entrepreneur Maman provides a concrete solution to issues related to the food, energy and water nexus. The solution enables farmers to save time and energy, expand the area under irrigation, increase their production and income, and streamline the management of irrigation water.

Photo: Abdou Maman Kane. Credit: World Water Council.
Photo: Abdou Maman Kane. Credit: World Water Council.

2012 – The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (SSO)

SSO is an independent international organization based in Tunis. It was founded in 1992 to improve early warning and monitoring systems for agriculture. SSO has placed particular importance on aquifers of large shared basins and on implementing the North-South-South partnership framework in order to strengthen the fight against desertification and reduce the impact of droughts. SSO has developed an innovative regional approach based on the notion of “basin awareness” for the management of water resources shared by its member countries

2009 – Abdulatif Youssef Al-Hamad

CEO of the Board of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Mr. Al-Hamad was honoured for his outstanding contributions to advancing cooperation and solidarity in the fields of development and management of water resources.

2006 – Torkil Jønch Clausen

At the time development director and deputy CEO of DHI Water and Environment (Denmark), Mr. Clausen was honoured for his outstanding contributions to advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) on a global scale. He is also one of the founders of the Global Water Partnership, and World Water Council Governor.

2003 – Jerson Kelman and Mahmoud Abu-Zeid

The president director of the Agencia Nacional de Aguas (ANA) of Brazil and the Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation of Egypt were both honored for their significant water-related achievements and contributions to the improvement of water resources management.

More about the Prize: Detailed nomination criteria and candidature procedure are available on line with the nomination form at www.worldwatercouncil.org

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