Islamabad (GNP): The four-day “ANSO–COMSATS Conference on Artificial Intelligence Enabled Solutions for Sustainable Water Governance, Security and Safety” successfully concluded in Islamabad. The conference was organized by the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS), with support of various collaborating organizations, co-funded by CAS–ANSO Conference Grant.
The Closing Ceremony was graced by Romina Khurshid Alam, Coordinator to Prime Minister on Climate Change and Environmental Coordination, Government of Pakistan, as Chief Guest. She appreciated the conference converging expert minds to explore AI’s transformative potential in addressing water safety. She stated that for Pakistan the conference deliberations were of critical value in view of the repeated challenges the country faced such as catastrophic floods of 2022 and the dual challenges of water scarcity and abundance. She shared the Government of Pakistan’s commitment to integrating climate resilience into national policies and leveraging AI for a secure water future.
Executive Director COMSATS, Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, thanked ANSO for financing this conference of strategic importance. He noted that water challenges are common and hence needed collective approach, especially among developing countries. He urged participants to translate the insights gathered into concrete actions and expressed COMSATS’ commitment to strengthen collaboration, promote capacity building, and facilitate knowledge sharing among its member states.
Prof. Dr. Junaid Mughal, CUI, appreciated ANSO and COMSATS for organizing the Conference, and expressed CUI’s pleasure on hosting this important activity. He highlighted the event’s particular focus on AI’s potential in monitoring, forecasting, and early warning regarding water quality management.
The Closing Ceremony was graced by Ambassadors of Palestine, High Commissioner of Sri Lanka, senior Diplomats of Zimbabwe and Indonesia, and leadership of NCP and ECO-SF.
The event brought together 34 experts from Bangladesh, Belgium, China, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Jordan, Jamaica, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. The Conference featured seven technical sessions covering presentations on the core themes, hands-on training session on AI tools, panel discussions and technical visits to PCRWR, NARC, and Quaid-i-Azam University, acquainting the foreign experts with Pakistan’s research facilities.
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54 scientists, researchers, officers and professionals from about 20 relevant organizations of Pakistan, and over 200 students of CUI, made in person participation. Additionally, about 300 individuals made online participation in the event.
Sohail Majeed is a Special Correspondent at The Diplomatic Insight. He has twelve plus years of experience in journalism & reporting. He covers International Affairs, Diplomacy, UN, Sports, Climate Change, Economy, Technology, and Health.
