A personal perspective:
I had the honor and privilege of collecting a number of 'mandat' to help WMO and others carry out what I consider was and remains - a formative capacity building and integrative cross-discipline learning action!
We guided, managed, facilitated and assembled unprecedented diversity in terms of the body of integrated water-related knowledge that came together for this important and in my opinion, groundbreaking event.
We demonstrated the need for and importance to many water professionals, that a contemporary approach is required to target and facilitate getting IWRM practices to the forefront of practicing professionals and government agencies around the world. Thanks and kudos to WMO for starting and being the foundation of this opportunity – They were at the heart of getting it going and they made sure it was completed!! After all - it was a WMO capacity building event!! Many outside WMO said it should or could not be done - let alone with just 3 months to prepare it. Who would have thought that WMO would be allowed to lead a groundwater-based international event with over 75 experts in water resources and management? Thanks need to go to the foresight and tenacity of key WMO water sector professionals. They put up with a lot of things others might not have to get this event actually put in place and finally the proceedings published. I believe it worked based on the people that I know well and those that we had feedback from. It was a working action. People all had to contribute - and describe their setting. It certainly was not carried out in a typical manner with many international scientific experts as peers and requiring years of preparation to plan nor did it have a scientific committee a mile long! Instead - a relatively small group of industrious and caring water professionals with a high degree of skill and a very large hearts with participatory spirits- saw the benefits of contributing - and all pitched in to make it happen!
I hope the greatest rewards have gone to the participants - as they assembled their over 50 case histories. We heard about them, discussed similar issues and looked for integrative means to solve problems. All this including the cases histories were pulled together in the proceedings. It took a while to get done - and my intestinal 'health' delayed for a while, getting the papers and conclusions all submitted. But in the end, it was a tremendous effort in international cooperation and coordination and I am glad that we were able to assist many to help get that done in such a professional manner - in just three short months.
There were some tough moments and times to get it pulled together near the start! Then I ended up quite sick. In fact, for the three weeks prior to Cairo, I was in hospital in Switzerland with a severe intestinal infection. I refused to have a recommended operation the lead local surgeon wanted. That would have precluded my participation or travel. Instead, I took the internal fight to my wee bugs - and with new drugs [Thanks Univ Geneva Med School] I did them all in – much to the surgeon’s chagrin - but I stayed 22 days - instead of just 10 according to the surgeon!!! Cut and paste - what an approach!. So - on the plane 01 April not looking back until 10 April -albeit with a not so convenient IV catheter set of injections 3x/d in Cairo! I am sure that even WMO appreciated my doing that to be there!
The is always a first time for innovative and creative thinkers - And for many, who we had assembled - economists, lawyers, hydrogeologists, ecosystems, industry and civil society contributors - was unique. We came together to debate groundwater management - in arid and semi arid settings - where perhaps more than anywhere - every drop SHOULD count. What started out as a request by WMO to have 15 people come together to talk about contemporary groundwater management turned into a well supported highly participatory partnership. We were able to bring 77 experts from IGOs, governments, the private sector, foundations, academia and NGOs together to make this work well and for all to learn. It was indeed a GREAT experience!!
Many thanks to the widely diverse contributors, their agencies and entities for coming [most of whom supporting their own participation] for making this successful and rewarding. Preparation of the proceedings materials as provided to WMO to complete with IAEA were made possible by grants provided to us from UNEP, IAEA and WMO. It was a pleasure working directly with the over 40 individuals who we assisted prepare their papers and presentations. All inputs were published in the proceedings. Many thanks to the generosity of the individuals who came from over 53 nations to participate actively. The CD has the entire materials of the event including the Powerpoint presentations, Posters as well as some longer versions the papers.
Outstanding support from the Nile Water Sector of the Egyptian Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation made the on-site actions a success. The fact that H.E Abu Zaid, Minster of Water and Irrigation was able and willing to show his personal interest by taking the time to be present and participate in several of the sessions and socail events during the entire five days of this workshop speaks loudly to its relevance and importance and to the quality and nature of individuals who came together for this needed discussion.
If we had the chance to do it again - would we?? I CERTAINLY WOULD !!
