The world’s first cross-border deal on water resources was struck in the Middle East, more than 4,000 years ago. Lagash and Umma, two ancient city states in modern-day Iraq, agreed to the Mesilim Treaty in 2,500 BC, recording its legal terms about sharing water from the Tigris and Euphrates on limestone.
Fast forward to today, and although many countries in the Middle East and beyond have reached bilateral or even regional water agreements, disputes and disagreements persist. The problem will inevitably be exacerbated by global warming; the UN has warned that worldwide demand for water is set to rise by 20 to 30 per cent by 2050, while droughts have already surged in frequency by nearly a third since 2000.
Where there is water scarcity, there is often also the potential for armed conflict. At a water security conference held by Trends Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi this week officials, academics and industry leaders heard how a failure to manage fresh water co-operatively and sustainably could have dangerous repercussions. Sir Liam Fox, a former UK defence minister, said water is becoming a security issue governments can no longer afford to ignore.
“You can see where there are points of potential conflict around the world,” Sir Liam told The National. “The question is, will we put in place systems that will try to anticipate the issues and defuse them before they become a crisis?” Given that more than two billion people worldwide still lack access to safe drinking water, and the World Bank estimates that scarcity could shave up to 6 per cent off GDP in some regions by the middle of the century, it is a pertinent question.
What is missing from the picture is an agreed framework that can help to resolve international disputes over precious water resources and prevent violent conflict. Reaching such an understanding would be a complex and drawn-out process, but there is plenty of recent precedents for just such a treaty.
In May, nations were able to come together to agree on an international pandemic treaty, committing themselves to pooling resources and research. Two years earlier, the UN High Seas Treaty – a legally binding international agreement – was adopted to conserve and sustainably use marine biodiversity. And although negotiations to establish a global treaty on plastics are ongoing, the fact that countries are still in talks shows that even the biggest global challenges can be met collaboratively.
The UN has warned that worldwide demand for water is set to rise by 20 to 30 per cent by 2050
When it comes to water, however, the picture is more mixed. Many treaties that govern water use – such as the Indus Waters Treaty between India and Pakistan and the Senegal River Basin Convention – were reached decades ago; the world has changed much since then. Bilateral deals are also vulnerable to sudden shocks; India temporarily suspended the Indus Waters Treaty after the deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam attack earlier this year.
The reality is that even protracted disagreements over water – such as the ongoing Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute – could benefit from an agreed, binding set of rules that lay down the core principles of water use, something that would pave the way for independent arbitration and conflict resolution.
It's a big ask and would undoubtedly take a long time to achieve, but failing to act in a world beset by climate-change-related drought and mounting pressure on water supplies would be to leave many vulnerable societies a hostage to fortune in the turbulent decades to come.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
More coverage from the Future Forum
DSC Eagles 23 Dubai Hurricanes 36
Eagles
Tries: Bright, O’Driscoll
Cons: Carey 2
Pens: Carey 3
Hurricanes
Tries: Knight 2, Lewis, Finck, Powell, Perry
Cons: Powell 3
Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More on Quran memorisation:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.
"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.
As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
