Professor Abdin Salih is currently a freelance consultant in water resources management at the national, regional and global levels. He was a Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Khartoum until February 2021, and Member of the Governing Council of the same University 2011–January 2017. He was the former President of the Governing Board of Merowe University until June 2021, and previous member of the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education based in Delft/the Netherlands, 2011–December 2016. His education included a first class honor degree in Civil Engineering from Khartoum University, and DIC and PhD from Imperial College in London in 1972. He held various academic positions at many universities in Africa, Middle East, Europe and USA with full professorship since 1982 and served as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Khartoum in 1991/1992. He worked for UNESCO 1993–2008 as regional hydrologist in Cairo Regional Office, Deputy Secretary of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) in Paris, and Director of UNESCO Regional Offices in Cairo and Tehran. UNESCO hired him again in September 2011 from retirement, as the Secretary of the UNESCO/IHP and the Director of the Water Sciences Division for one year; and again May 2014 – January 2015 as Regional Director of UNESCO Cairo Office and a Representative. Prior to that he was elected in 2008 as the President of the Intergovernmental Council of the UNESCO IHP for two years. He was elected in 2015 member of the Executive Board of UNESCO until 2019. He published close to 100 scientific contributions in refereed journals and specialized conferences. His research interest includes areas related to water resources management in arid zones including surface and groundwater. He is a member/fellow of many scientific organizations such as IAHR, IWRA, IAHS, IAH, ICID, and is currently a member of the Governors of the Arab Water Council. He is a Fellow of TWAS and the African Academy of Sciences and awarded ISESCO Award for Excellence in Sciences.

He served as a consultant for many regional and international organizations including: UNESCO, WMO, FAO, WB, UN-ESCWA, AOAD, ACSAD, ALECSO, ISESCO. He provided consulting services to many countries in the region and abroad. Most important of these is leading various international teams for finding solutions for the rising groundwater beneath the city of Riyadh the capital of Saudi Arabia. He is one of the founders of many regional and global networks including: The African Division of the IAHR; the Wadi Hydrology and Groundwater Networks in the Arab region; The MAB network of the Arab region; the IHP global G-WADI network; the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP); the UNESCO-IHE as a category 1 Institute, the regional G-WADI networks in Asia, Africa and the Arab regions.

Title: Water Diplomacy: Case of the Nile Basin

ABSTRACT

Science Diplomacy is the direct support of diplomatic processes through science by providing scientific advice and evidence to inform and support decision-making in foreign and security policies. It is more emphasized in literature, as an example, on Water Diplomacy. Water Diplomacy uses diplomatic techniques of negotiation and mediation and intercultural communication to promote win-win and sustainable development among Riparian States. These issues will be elaborated in my presentation, together with examples from the Nile Basin.