The eighth Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, to be held in Aqaba, Jordan, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, 2012, will focus on water scarcity and related issues that have intensified globally as populations and economies have grown.
Held every two years at different venues around the world, the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy, a project of the University of California, convenes 50 international water scholars and senior water managers to explore the central role of science in effective water policy and promote the exchange of information about water management problems worldwide.
For the 2012 forum, “Managing Water in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities,” the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) will join UC as a principal sponsor. Co-sponsors include the U.S. National Academies of Science and the Islamic World Academy of Sciences. The InterActionCouncil (IAC), an organization whose members are former heads of state and government, also has agreed to be a collaborator on parts of the program.
Three members of the IAC have accepted invitations to participate: Dr. Abdel Salam Majali, former prime minister of Jordan; Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico; and James Bolger, former prime minister of New Zealand. In addition, Dr. Adnan Badran, former prime minister of Jordan, will participate.
The Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy was established at the University of California in 1996 with an endowment grant in honor of former Bank of America Chairman Richard Rosenberg, who was instrumental in rallying the business community in California to help resolve the problems caused by the 1987-92 drought.
Past forums have been held in San Francisco; Barcelona, Spain; Canberra, Australia; Ankara, Turkey; Banff, Canada; Zaragoza, Spain; and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Additional details about the Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy can be found at http://rosenberg.ucanr.org.