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The first day of the training course entitled "International Water Law and Water Agreements" kicked off today, Sunday, at the University of Science and Technology (JUST). The week-long course is organized by the University's Water Diplomacy Center and is being attended by participants from local and regional countries.

On behalf of the University President, Dr. Ahmad Al-Ajlouni, Vice President of the University, patronized the course's opening ceremony. In his speech, he welcomed the guests, lecturers, and participants in the course from the countries participating in the Blue Peace Initiative. He stressed the university's continuous support of such projects and active activities, emphasizing the importance of such activities that shed light on water issues. He also praised the role of the center in its success in holding this workshop despite the current circumstances in the region.

Dr. Majed Abu Zreig, Director of the Blue Peace Project in the Middle East for Capacity Development, spoke about the vision and mission of the Water Diplomacy Center, and about the objectives and expected outcomes of this course, which is part of the courses offered by the center as part of the Blue Peace Initiative project to develop local capacities in the Water Diplomacy Center, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. He also emphasized on the future activities of the project in the field of water diplomacy, in addition to the establishment of the Master's program in Water Diplomacy, which is scheduled to be launched during the first semester of the academic year 2024/2025.

Dr. Susanne Schmeier, a water expert from IHE Delft Institute, also gave a welcoming speech in which she thanked the organizers of this workshop and spoke about the importance of the topics covered by the course, which sheds light on international water law and global agreements in this field.

The "International Water Law and Water Conventions" course comes after the success of the first course entitled "Water Conflicts and Cooperation" held by the Water Diplomacy Center in 2023. These courses target researchers and engineers working in the water and agriculture sectors, in addition to diplomats from the ministries of foreign affairs of the partner countries in the Blue Peace Initiative, which include Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Türkiye, in addition to Jordan. This year, 26 participants from these countries are participating in this course, including 6 participants in the Blue Peace Middle East Youth Fellowship Program.

The course is presented by specialists and experts in the field of water from IHE Delft Institute and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). It is worth noting that the course material was prepared by the IHE Institute, specialized in the field of water diplomacy, and is represented by Dr. Susanne Schmeier, and Mr. Diego Jara from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

It is noteworthy that these courses are part of the activities of the Blue Peace project to develop local capacities in the Water Diplomacy Center, supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.