The Office of the Dean of the College of Science at United Arab Emirates University held a meeting with University of the West of England, UK, on Wednesday 23^rd of March 2016. The purpose was to prepare a report about blue jobs in the United Arab Emirates. Presiding was Prof. Dr. Ahmed Murad, Acting Dean of the College of Science, and in attendance were heads of academic departments, participants from the University of the West of England, and graduate students from the University of Hohai and Peking University, China.

Dr. Ahmed Murad said: “This meeting comes in conjunction with World Water Day, and aims to prepare a report about blue jobs in the UAE State.  The report will look at jobs associated with water and how they affect the evolution and stability of the world economy. According to United Nations statistics, 1.5 billion jobs around the world are linked to water, either directly or indirectly.  Consequently it was decided this year to focus on the role of water in economic development, because of its importance to the State and to the whole world. "

This meeting is a preparatory meeting to decide the distribution of tasks on the preparation of the report among teams and the relevant authorities in the State. Further on, the teams will collect the data and do an analytical study for the preparation of the report by the College of Science, which is expected to be finalized during the month of October this year.  This initiative is in conjunction with World Water Day and in line with the vision of UAE University based on partnerships with the most prestigious educational institutions and research centers, and regional and international organizations to exchange experiences and achieve scientific integration.