Islamic countries meet to address water issues

ISTANBUL - The Islamic conference of ministers responsible for water convened here Monday, under the theme of "Working Together for a Water Secure Future," and will adopt a water vision document for the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).

Abdul Moiz Bukhari, OIC deputy secretary general, said that the water vision "Working Together for a Water Secure Future" is an endeavor to provide a framework of action and cooperation to address water issues and the major water-related challenges in the OIC member states."

The two-day conference is attended by ministers and specialists from more than 50 Islamic countries, including Egypt, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Oman and Turkey.

Addressing the meeting, Bukhari said that a large number of OIC countries are classified as water scarce, adding that in the Middle East, water availability is predicted to be reduced to half by 2050 even without the effects of climate change.

He said that the water vision document gives a brief overview of the diverse water environments across the OIC countries and the different dimensions of water related challenges facing them.

In the coming months and years, concrete actions will be taken to deal with the challenges and to implement the water vision.

Turkish Minister of Forestry and Environment Veysel Eroglu said at the meeting that regional and international cooperation as well as effective management of water were important to deal with the issue of water safety in the world.

Turkey has signed 30 agreements on water, meteorology and forestry with 15 OIC member states, Eroglu said, adding that "We are ready to share our knowledge and experience about forestry in international arena."