Toward Adaptive Water Resources Management and Water Security: Policy Lessons from Israel and Japan and Some Global and Regional Implications

* Date: Monday, October 18, 2021, 15:00-16:15 Japan Time (9:00-10:15 Israel Time)

* Venue: Zoom­­­­ Webinar

* Language: English / Japanese simultaneous interpretation will be provided

* Registration: No charge. Advance registration required

* This webinar is organized by ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies) of the University of Tokyo and supported by Embassy of Israel in Japan. 

* Contact Information: Division of Religion and Global Security (Ikeuchi Laboratory) of RCAST, the University of Tokyo: office＠me.rcast.u-tokyo.ac.jp

Toward Adaptive Water Resources Management and Water Security: Policy Lessons from Israel and Japan and Some Global and Regional Implications

Water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges for many societies today and in the near future. With population growth, urbanization, climate change, water demand for domestic consumption and food production, competition for water resources is expected to increase. The most water scarce region in the world is the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Despite being one of the most water-stressed countries, Israel has achieved water security through its policies for sustainable water resources management.

At this webinar, Prof. Eilon Adar, a hydro-geologist and expert on water resources management in Israel, will provide an insight into the evolution and challenges of water resources management policy and how Israeli policies enable a sustainable water system. Dr. Kenji Nagata, senior advisor at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will share with us his activities and experiences in water resources management in developing countries and practical knowledge on Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM).

Featuring the panelists, this webinar will discuss the key innovations and lessons learned for water-stressed countries within and outside the MENA region. Furthermore, it will explore how to develop a collaborative approach for adaptive and more flexible management of water resources in an era of complexity and uncertainty.

Speakers

Dr. Eilon Adar, Professor (emeritus) of Hydrology and Hydro-Geology, at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

 

Dr. Kenji Nagata, Senior Advisor, Water Resources Group, Global Environment Department, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)

 

Moderator and Commentator: Satoshi Ikeuchi, Professor of Religion and Global Security, RCAST and the Head of ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies), the University of Tokyo
 

Dr. Eilon Adar is a professor emeritus at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR) of the Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. His research interests include groundwater hydrology of arid basins. Prof. Adar developed the Mixing Cell Model (MCM) approach utilizing mass balance equations of hydrochemistry and environmental isotopes in water coupled with a hydrological flow model. The model has been applied in several hydrological basins worldwide, from the Kalahari Desert (Namibia), Jezreel, Arava, Negev and Bessor basins (Israel), to the Ili basin in Kazakhstan. The MCM model has been applied in the Arava aquifer of Jordan and Israel in order to define the relative groundwater contribution from Jordanian and Israeli sources. Other activities are associated with cross-borders water resources in the Middle East, particularly with Israel’s “international” aquifers, their quality and the division with the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Palestinian Authority.

Dr. Kenji Nagata is a Senior Advisor on Water Resources and Disaster at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). He holds PhD in International Studies from the University of Tokyo, and is a Professional Engineer on Civil Engineering in Japan. Over the past 30 years, he has been an engineer or adviser in the water resources sector for more than twenty developing countries. Dr. Nagata joined JICA in 2005 and has been leading and pursuing effective practice of Integrated Water Resources Management, and carried out water resources management projects in Indonesia, Thailand, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, Bolivia, Brazil and so on. He used to work as a long-term expert for the Ministry of Energy and Water in Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014, and contributed to formulate the National Priority Program in the water resources sector. He is also a member of Technical Committee in Global Water Partnership (GWP). 

Satoshi Ikeuchi is a Professor of Religion and Global Security at the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) of the University of Tokyo and the Head of ROLES (RCAST Open Laboratory for Emergence Strategies). Professor Ikeuchi has published extensively on Middle East politics, Islamic political thought and global security challenges.