Danish water cooperation established in Dubai
Challenges with water have led the city government in Dubai to contact the Danish Water Summer School with the aim of setting up a similar initiative locally. Last week, representatives from Dubai and Danish actors signed the MoU agreement to secure the new collaboration. 30-09-2024
Water has a decisive influence on health, energy, food production and the development of our society. In the United Arab Emirates, all fresh water is based on desalinated seawater – an expensive and resource-intensive way of obtaining drinking water. In addition, the Emirates want to increase the production of their own food, because approx. 80% of the current food quantity is imported.
Even more freshwater is therefore needed, and together with a disproportionately high leakage rate in the water distribution network, this puts the current system under pressure.
Therefore, the city government in Dubai has been inspired by the Danish Water Summer School Advanced Water Cycle Management Course (AWCMC) and now wants to enter into a cooperation agreement to set up a similar education.
The Danish Water Summer School is a partnership between Grundfos, Kamstrup, DHI, Niras, IGIS, Clean, Aarhus University, WATEC Aarhus University Centre for Water Technology, Aarhus Vand, Danida Fellowship, Water Valley Denmark and AVK.
Danish Middle East Water Academy
The purpose is to establish a Danish-Middle Eastern education collaboration, initially with a focus on Dubai. The new partnership is named the Danish Middle East Water Academy and will be developed in close collaboration between Be Pro Training Institute LLC and Ferskvandscentret in Denmark together with a strong Danish setup of Danish companies and organisations including AVK. WEMA (Water Efficiency Middle East Alliance) is a supporting collaborator as well.
“The idea of a partnership to transfer knowledge from the Danish water industry and companies to the Middle East came from the Danish Water Summer School, held at AVK every summer in cooperation with other Danish companies and government authorities. This is in line with AVK’s values of being close to our customers and our drive to focus on sustainability,” says Ole Hedegaard, Regional Managing Director, AVK in the Middle East.
The Danish Consulate General in Dubai has played a decisive role in facilitating the partnership, which was formally entered into on 26 September at AVK in Denmark with the signing of the MoU agreement.
"This partnership strengthens the strategic cooperation between Denmark and the Emirates, where Danish companies can also contribute expertise and technology in sustainable water management to Dubai and the Middle East," says Astrid Svitzer Ching Nielsen, Regional Teamleader Water & Environment, Danish Consulate General in Dubai.
“In Water Valley Denmark, we are happy to continue the good cooperation from the Danish Water Summer School partnership in the Danish Middle East Water Academy. The initiative provides the opportunity to contribute with solutions in places in the world with critical water challenges and at the same time enter new knowledge sharing partnerships. In addition, it provides a good opportunity to share the many success stories about Danish water technology solutions,” says Ulla Sparre, CEO at Water Valley Denmark about the upcoming collaboration.
Ferskvandscentret in Denmark will be the coordinator of the project to ensure a well-defined entry into the large setup of Danish partners in the collaboration.
“We are very pleased to enter this cooperation on competence development in the water sector in the Middle East in close cooperation with the other Danish parties as well as Be Pro in Dubai,” says Frank Borch-Olsen, chairman of the board, Ferskvandscentret.
Course manager Charlotte Frambøl, who will take care of the coordination in practice, adds:
“We are proud to be part of a strong collaboration that will contribute to the green transition in the Middle East via competence development. Challenges linked to climate change with too little and too much water must be understood globally, but most often solved locally. This is why this international collaboration on continuing education in water makes such good sense.”
The Mou agreement was signed by Dr. Asma Nizar Taissir Idlebi, CEO, Be Pro Training Institute, Dubai and Jakob Beck Wätjen, CEO, Ferskvandscentret at AVK International.
At the MoU signing, NIRAS, GRUNDFOS, Danfoss, Water Valley Denmark and The Danish Consulate General in Dubai were also present. We are currently in the process of forming the exact group of companies and institutions who want to contribute to the academy.
Danish Middle East Water Academy is initially for employees in Dubai, but later the idea is that the initiative should be extended to the whole of the Middle East.
