Israel and Water: Collaboration, Innovation, and Global Leadership

Sponsored by UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies

Since ancient times, water has often in fluenced war and peace in the Middle East. The conflict over water resources was a key factor leading to the Six-day war in 1967, and water was integral in Israel’s 1995 peace treaty with Jordan. Water shortages persist as a major issue all over the world. In 2013 however, Israel overcame its water challenges through implementing a variety of technological solutions, making 2013 Israel’s Water Independence Year.

In this talk, Booky Oren will discuss Israel’s innovative water solutions and how they can be leveraged in a global context to create economic growth while also assisting billions of people worldwide. Given the ubiquity of water shortages, Israel will need to collaborate with other nations and shift from a Startup Nation to a Partnership Nation. He will also share his vision of water being used as a tool to make peace with neighboring countries and the world.



About the Speaker:

Booky Oren is the Chairman and CEO of Booky Oren Global Water Technologies. Over the past 28 years, Oren has been active in a variety of global and local industries and markets, and in the public sector. At the beginning of the millennium, he turned from the high-tech Industry to the water industry. Oren’s previous positions include Chairman of Mekorot, Israels national water company, and Corporate Vice President for Business Development at Netafim, the largest micro-irrigation comapny in the world. His current company focuses on commercialization of proven water innovations worldwide.

For more information or to RSVP, please visit: http://www.international.ucla.edu/israel/event/11010 or call 310-825-9646