Water has been identified as one of the greatest potential sources of future conflicts in the world. In the Middle East, the Nile, the Euphrates, the Tigris and the Jordan rivers have all been pinpointed as possible triggers of future turbulence. Without adequate water supplies, there can be no sustainable development.

Fortunately, work is under way to redress the situation before it is too late. As part of these efforts, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will be running a regional seminar on Capacity-building for parliaments on the sustainable management of water resources on 29 and 30 November 2005. The meeting will be hosted by the Lebanese Parliament in Beirut.

This is the first in a series of similar regional events. It is being organized in cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (AIPU). The aim is to spread understanding of the huge stakes involved in water management and how it is crucial to sustainable development. The organizers believe that parliaments play a significant role in international environmental policy and legislation, and their collective expertise should be harnessed to address the problem.

At the end of the series of seminars, a handbook for parliamentarians will be prepared on the same topic.

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Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the IPU, the oldest multilateral political organisation, currently brings together 143 affiliated parliaments and seven regional assemblies as associate members. The world organisation of parliaments has an Office in New York, which acts as its Permanent Observer at the United Nations.
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Contact for additional information or interviews:

In Geneva: Mrs. Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer 5, ch. du Pommier, CH - 1218 Le Grand-Saconnex / Geneva Tel. +41 22 919 41 16/27 Fax: +41 22 919 41 60 E-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cbl@mail.ipu.org