MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Members, I am pleased to share the Spring edition of the IDA Global Connections, emphasizing the need to further connect and collaborate to offset water scarcity through sustainable innovations in the water and wastewater sector, to create lasting impact. According to the United Nations, in less than two years from now, in 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water stressed conditions. This is not just critical and alarming but clearly signals that the sector is not moving fast enough to bridge the increasing gap between the demand and supply of water.
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The pressure on natural water resources will not ease without serious action that addresses water scarcity both as a global challenge and as part of an interconnected ecosystem. It is also imperative to push and prioritize water security and sustainability as part of the global climate action agenda which has been gaining momentum across years of heavy lobbying by international decision makers and political heavyweights. That said, with the United Arab Emirates, being the hosting nation of COP28 this year, we are certain that water security will be a central focus during the event. The question that we need to ask ourselves as industry leaders and key players across different sectors is; When will we stop thinking of wastewater as ‘waste’ and how can we
