“I am proud to announce that the GWP Steering Committee completed its search and has made an outstanding choice,” said Dr. Letitia A. Obeng, GWP Chair. “Mohamed is no stranger to GWP, having been a member of the GWP Technical Committee in the past, and we are happy to welcome him back.”
Dr. Ait Kadi is President of the General Council of Agricultural Development in Morocco. He is also Professor in the Department of Equipment and Hydraulics at the Institute of Agronomy and Veterinary Medicine Hassan II in Rabat, Morocco. “Dr. Mohamed Ait Kadi comes to us from one of the most water stressed regions of the world and knows firsthand the importance of sustainable water management for development. He shares our vision for a water secure world,” said Dr. Obeng.
Dr. Ait Kadi has made significant contributions in the fields of irrigation and water resources management both in Morocco and internationally. He helped shape the global water agenda as one of the first members of GWP’s then-named Technical Advisory Committee. He was nominated by King Mohammed VI of Morocco as a resident member of the King Hassan II Academy of Sciences and Technology, the most prestigious scientific institution in the country. Dr. Ait Kadi speaks Arabic, French and English.
“I welcome the opportunity to serve as GWP’s Technical Committee Chair at this point in GWP’s development,” said Dr. Ait Kadi. “The world is rapidly entering an era in which water is at the core of several emerging issues. The highest priorities on the current development agenda—food, energy, climate, poverty, conflicts—are all related to water. There is enormous scope for GWP to provide global leadership in technical excellence, facilitate the exchange of knowledge and strengthen partnerships with strategic allies so that water issues are acted on at the highest levels.”
In addition to providing overall leadership to the GWP Technical Committee, Dr. Ait Kadi will work closely with GWP’s international network to implement the 2009-2013 Strategy.
Dr. Ait Kadi has been a key player in the Moroccan water sector and contributed to drafting the new water law in 1995. He served as Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries. He was also appointed Chief Agricultural negotiator of the Morocco-United States Free Trade Agreement. On the international level, Dr. Ait Kadi served as the water and irrigation expert in the International External Evaluation Team of the FAO and member of the advisory panel in the World Bank for the evaluation of water projects. He was member of the founding committee of the World Water Council and initiated the process of hosting the first World Water Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, and was president of its organising committee.
“From water practitioner to academic to senior policy maker, Dr. Ait Kadi combines professional excellence in water resources management with its broad societal linkages. These skills are essential for GWP as a global network concerned with the larger role of water in sustainable development,” said Prof. Torkil Jønch Clausen, GWP Senior Advisor and former Chair of the GWP Technical Committee from 1996 to 2003.