ABU DHABI - Under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, the Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative was launched today to confront the urgent challenge of water scarcity around the world.

The initiative aims to enhance awareness of the severity of the water scarcity crisis and accelerate the pace of technological innovation to deal with the challenges it poses. A further aim is to expand the scope of international cooperation to address the crisis and drive investment for the benefit of current and future generations.

The initiative will be chaired by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs; and vice-chaired by His Excellency Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority.

The board members include His Excellency Suhail bin Mohamed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; His Excellency Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment; Her Excellency Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak Al Shamsi, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment; Her Excellency Maryam bint Mohammed Saeed Hareb Al Mehairi, Head of the International Affairs Office at the Presidential Court; His Excellency Faisal Abdulaziz Al Bannai, Secretary-General of the Advanced Technology Research Council; His Excellency Abdulla Ahmed Balala, Assistant Minister of Energy and Sustainability Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; David Scott, Advisor to the Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority; and Ray Dalio, Founder of Bridgewater Associates.