By Diplomacy Journal Kayla Lee 

The Ministry of Environment held the 8th Korea-United Arab Emirates (UAE) Joint Committee on Water Resources Cooperation at the Han River Flood Control Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul on August 27.

In February 2024, the UAE, under the leadership of the President, launched the “Mohamed bin Zayed Water Initiative” to address the global water shortage crisis, devoting national capacity to developing innovative and sustainable water management solutions and strengthening international cooperation.

In April of the same year, record rainfall caused damage in the Dubai area, prompting the country to pursue large-scale flood control projects, showing its strong interest in water management technologies. In addition, since a significant portion of its drinking water is obtained through seawater desalination, the UAE is also highly focused on securing water security against potential incidents of radioactive material inflow into seawater.

In November 2015, the two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on water resources cooperation and have since been strengthening collaboration in areas such as surface water, groundwater, smart water management, and seawater desalination. Since 2017, the Joint Committee on Water Resources Cooperation has been held alternately in both countries every year, and in November of last year, the 7th Joint Committee was held virtually.

In 2022, a domestic research team established a demonstration facility in the Middle East with the goal of developing low-energy seawater desalination technology, and since last year, a pilot project* to reduce water leakage rates in the UAE has been underway.

At the 8th Joint Committee, Korea was represented by Kim Hyo-jung, Director General of Water Use Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Environment, along with domestic water management experts.

The UAE was represented by Sharif Al Olama, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure, accompanied by officials from Etihad and Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

At the Joint Committee, discussions included strengthening disaster response with AI-based flood forecasting, low-carbon hydrogen production strategies, digital twin-based water management, tritium removal in seawater desalination, modernization and reuse of wastewater treatment plants, as well as pilot projects with smart water network management and promotion of joint research.