6th International Rain Enhancement Forum Draws Speakers From 18 Countries

ABU DHABI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 19th Jan, 2023) The National Center of Meteorology (NCM), through the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science (UAEREP), announced that the 6th edition of the International Rain Enhancement Forum (IREF) will draw the participation of 46 speakers and panellists from 18 countries.

Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, the event will run from 24-26 January 2023 at the Conrad Abu Dhabi at Etihad Towers.

In its sixth edition now, the Forum will gather leading global and national experts, researchers, scientists, and stakeholders to discuss the latest scientific and technological advances in rain enhancement research and ways to strengthen cooperation and step up scientific efforts to tackle global water stress.

The Forum will gather top officials and dignitaries, including Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, Prof. Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Dr. Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-General of NCM, and President of the Regional Association II (Asia); Dr. Nawal Al Hosany, UAE’s Permanent Representative at IRENA; Essa Al Hashmi, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Sustainable Communities Sector and Acting Assistant Under-Secretary for the Green Development and Climate Change Sector at Ministry of Climate Change and the Environment; Omran Sharaf, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Advanced Science and Technology, and Dr. Ray Johnson, CEO of the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi.

To discuss significant lessons and success stories from across the globe, the forum will particularly focus on the recent regional and global developments in rain enhancement by hosting representatives from countries with operational rain enhancement programmes and projects. Guest speakers from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Ethiopia, South Africa and South Korea will share presentations and explain how cutting-edge technologies and scientific research are playing a crucial role in the success of their cloud seeding programmes.

Dr. Al Mandous said, “Together with our partners from the scientific community, NCM continues to explore the future of water sustainability and rain enhancement research as a vital alternative for existing water resources for the countries of the world. By hosting IREF on a regular basis, we aim to provide a dedicated platform for specialised experts and scientists in this growing field. In its sixth edition, IREF highlights the local and global efforts to accelerate the development of rain enhancement research given its increasingly important role in tackling draught and water scarcity challenges in arid and semi-arid regions across the globe.”

For her part, Alya Mazroui, Director of the UAE Research Programme for Rain Enhancement Science, added, “In addition to examining the latest progress in our awardee projects, we look forward to leveraging the opportunities that the Forum presents to enhance international cooperation in this vital field. As a growing number of countries are exploring rain enhancement research as an alternative source of clean water, the event will allow us to unlock the potentials of our eleven awardee projects to benefit from their research outcomes in practical applications.”

Over its three-day run, IREF will feature a packed agenda that will cover several key topics including the water security challenges in the global climate agenda; opportunities and challenges to implement rainfall enhancement models and technologies; new approaches and innovations for rainfall enhancement; latest developments and technologies in rain enhancement; regional and global developments in rainfall enhancement; capacity building within the UAE research programme for rain enhancement science; and outlook on current research gaps and targeted solutions in rain enhancement research.