Symposium in Cannes: water for the future of mankind?

One thousand specialists, gathered at the Palais des Festivals from May 29th to 31st for the third water symposium which will tackle new technologies for water management.

Water is the future of mankind. When we talk about globalization, water becomes more and more an essential stake for the preservation of great human and geopolitical balances in the world. The International Water Symposium has been created three years ago in Cannes for that reason. The third edition, organised by professor Raoul Caruba on the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis , will take place at the Palais des festivals from May 29th to 31st.Pollution, purification, control…This International Symposium aims at gathering water specialists (professionals, officials, searchers, academicians) in order to focus on latest breakthroughs in terms of purification new technologies, water control and treatment as well as in risks linked to water (natural disasters, sea pollution, protection and health, quality of drinking water). Who will be present will be the greatest specialists coming from rich countries as far as water is concerned (United-States, Europe, Australia, etc.) or poor countries (Arab Emirates, Africa, etc.). And further one thousand participants coming from around thirty countries are expected.During three days they will also tackle more specific themes as the new European legislation (costs, distribution networks, water transfers); new tools for knowledge transmission, legislations, economic management models, from new Information and Communication Technologies (Internet, videoconferencing, distance training, CD-ROM, etc.). they will also deal with the content of formations dedicated to future protagonists and officials of the water industry (company managers, authority officials, engineers, searchers, students, etc.).Open public sessionsSome open public sessions will provide debate on humanist themes such as “Water, Miror of the World” (headed by Professor Jean-François Mattéi) or scientific themes such as “Water, Planets and Life (by Nathalie Cabrol from the SETI Institute NASA-USA). The symposium will get out of the Palasi des Festivals in Cannes to meet the general public, around roundtables organised by the FNAC, Antibes street.An exhibition show will welcome international companies, water managers. Each one of them will present its activities during the Companies Forum which will take place in the grand Espace Riviéra.Contact and information- You will find pieces of information regularly on the sites: http://www.symposium-h2o.com and http://www.unice.fr/h2o.- This event, set under the Authority of the Scientific Academy of France, takes place with the participation of the UNESCO Euro-Arab network, the UNITWIN Mediterranean network and UNESCO water resource chairs whose four founding members are the United-Nations, the UNESCO, the city of Cannes and the University of Nice Sophia Antipolis. Will take part as well in the symposium the personalities from the F.A.O. (Food Agricultural Organisation), from the O.M.S., from the C.N.R.S., from the I.N.S.E.R.M. and from the N.A.S.A.