His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, honored the winners of the fourth edition of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award during a ceremony attended by Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai.

A total of 12 winners from eight countries were recognized under the umbrella of the UAE's 'Saqia' initiative, which operates under the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives Foundation.

The award offers a total of one million USD and has four main categories: 'Innovative Projects Award', 'Innovation in Research and Development Award', 'Individual Innovations Award', and 'Innovative Solutions for Crisis Award'.

During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that the UAE is committed to expanding its humanitarian impact and utilizing its innovations to ensure a decent quality of life for millions around the world.

He noted, 'Humanity today faces numerous challenges, and clean water scarcity is one of the greatest challenges.

We rely on innovation to achieve sustainable solutions that enhance the UAE’s vision of harnessing technology for the service of humanity and supporting communities suffering from water scarcity.'

Sheikh Mohammed expressed pride in the contributions of UAE institutions in the water sector, reaffirming support for all projects, ideas, and innovations that make a significant impact on people’s lives.

Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at 'Saqia', expressed gratitude to Sheikh Mohammed for honoring the winners and for his continuous support of humanitarian and developmental work.

He stated that the award reflects the directives of Sheikh Mohammed in leveraging innovation and technology to serve humanity, showcasing the UAE and Dubai’s commitment to addressing global challenges, including the pressing issue of clean water scarcity, which is a major humanitarian challenge in the 21st century.

According to United Nations reports, 2.2 billion people worldwide lack safe drinking water, and UNICEF statistics indicate that over 1,000 children under five die daily due to diseases related to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene services.

Many communities continue to struggle with severe scarcity of clean water.

Al Tayer highlighted that 'over the past ten years since its establishment, Saqia has carried out more than 1,000 water projects that have positively impacted nearly 15 million people across 37 countries.' He mentioned the significant role of innovation in providing sustainable solutions to the global water crisis.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award serves as a global platform that enhances the UAE’s position in humanitarian work, rooted in the noble principles and high values taught by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

This approach is further continued under the leadership of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, committing to support hope-driven initiatives.

The award has attracted global attention from research centers, institutions, and innovators, encouraging the development of innovative and sustainable solutions for water production, desalination, and purification using clean energy sources.

In its previous editions, it honored 31 winners from 22 countries, and the current round received applications from 46 countries.

Winners in the 'Innovative Projects – Large Projects' category included:
- First place: Green Waste Solutions – DMCC from the UAE for the 'Landco Tech' project, converting organic waste and wastewater into valuable resources such as renewable energy, fresh water, and bio-fertilizers.

- Second place: Sebco from Vietnam, providing safe drinking water for schools and communities using ceramic-coated silver nanoparticle filters.

- Third place: Sotraad Water SRL from Belgium, offering a comprehensive solution for pumping, treating, and distributing drinking water using solar energy.

In the 'Innovative Projects – Small Projects' category:
- First place: Cumulus SAS from France, for producing drinking water from air using solar energy.

- Second place: Jiangsu Fenghai New Energy Development from China, for a smart seawater desalination project.

- Third place: Fountain Air Ltd from Hong Kong, for integrating air conditioning with drinking water production.

In the 'Innovation in Research and Development' category:
- First place: Stema SAS from France, for an innovative water distillation system using membranes.

- Second place: Energy and Water – NEOM from Saudi Arabia, for extracting minerals from saline solutions.

- First place in the national institutions category: Khalifa University from the UAE, for a nature-inspired freshwater generator.

In the 'Innovative Solutions for Crisis Award':
- First place: Sky Juice Inc from Australia, for an emergency water treatment system.

In the 'Individual Innovations – Outstanding Researcher' category:
- First place: Professor Juehua Yu from the USA, for innovations in water desalination.

In the 'Individual Innovations – Young Innovator' category:
- First place: Professor Jianguan Zhou from China, for a passive solar distillation system.