Hassan II Great World Water Prize: FAO expresses thanks to King Mohammed VI, Morocco

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organized, at its headquarters in Rome, a ceremony in honor of Morocco to extend its thanks to King Mohammed VI and the Kingdom, following the award of the 8th Hassan II Great World Water Prize to this Organization, during the 10th World Water Forum, held on May 20 in Bali, in Indonesia.

During a function, organized at the prestigious Mohammed V hall at the FAO headquarters, Director-General of the UN organization, Qu Dungyu, underlined the importance of the Hassan II Great World Water Prize, as a “recognition for FAO and its members, as well as for the agricultural sector.”

“The prize also illustrates recognition of FAO’s exemplary leadership and holistic approach in water management, enshrined in the development of various programs and the launch of several initiatives,” Qu Dungyu said.

He also commended “Morocco’s leadership in the management of water resources and its great expertise in Africa, as a model of sustainable water management, to ensure food security”.

For his part, permanent representative of the Kingdom to the United Nations agencies in Rome, Youssef Balla, said that Morocco, with flagship programs in the management of water resources, pays particular attention to the issue of water in Africa, by encouraging the transfer of technologies and investments with sister African countries, to meet the great challenge of water scarcity and the problem of continental food security.

The 8th Hassan II Great World Water Prize was awarded to the FAO during the opening ceremony of the 10th World Water Forum.

The FAO Director-General had then said in a message read out on his behalf that this prize recognizes and rewards actions that promote the protection and preservation of water resources, improvement in their management, and reuse of wastewater, as well as raising awareness among the population about water issues.

Jointly established by Morocco and the World Water Council, the Hassan II Prize is awarded every three years, either to one person, an institution or an organization recognized by the Jury members as having a major contribution to “securing water resources for food sovereignty and shared prosperity.”

The contribution may be scientific, economic, technical, environmental, social, institutional, cultural or political.