“Global water challenge” Conference by Audencia Business School – Paris 17 – 19 March, 2025
During the week of World Water Day, the MSc Public Policy and International Cooperation organized the Global Water Challenge for two European contexts at the scale of an ecodistrict in France (ZAC des Docks de Saint-Ouen) and in Cyprus (unconventional strategy to increase the supply). The event was held under the patronage of Mrs Annita Demetriou, President of the Cyprus House of Representatives and sponsored by LATHEA Group, a leader Real Estate company based in Nicosia-Cyprus.
In a televised message, Mrs Demetriou stressed the importance of water supply in a country like Cyprus and Mr Andreas Gregoriou, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, in his message referred to the problem in detail.
The objective of this event was to raise students’ awareness of the major challenges facing the water market: “having enough water to meet the needs of all users (households and businesses), promoting access to water, and encouraging users and operators to adopt good practices. To do this, we must act on demand to waste less and develop, when it makes sense, an unconventional supply. It is a new paradigm that must be found, around managing demand and stabilizing supply”.
In this context, students, accompanied by experts, identified innovative solutions on four themes, applied to two projects in France and Cyprus:
- Public-private co-design: Integrate resilience issues related to water shorages/excesses into project design
- Sustainable business model: Identify water-saving technologies and practices, including recycling,
in operations
- Community engagement: Encourage users to reduce their water consumption through communication,
a new business model, water conservation projects, etc.
- Start-ups and innovation: Innovate in circular water economy solutions
The results will be shared with the concerned authorities in Cyprus and a follow-up will be effected by LATHEA Group and the Goéland Overseas team, towards implementing the conference contribution to attract investors for new desalination plants in Cyprus.
The event was honored by distinguished speakers from Cyprus and France:
CYPRUS
Mr Efthymios Diplaros, Member of the House of Representatives in Cyprus, Mr Andreas Gregoriou, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Cyprus, Mr Chrysanthos Fakas, Deputy Mayor of Nicosia – Cyprus, Mr Nicos Neocleous, Secretary of Cyprus Water Association and Mr Richard El Khoury, Chairman LATHEA Group, Cyprus (DBA Candidate Audencia Business School). Attending the conference were also Mr Antoine El Khoury, President Goéland Overseas, Ms Rana Haddad, Managing Partner LATHEA Group / DBA Candidate Audencia Business School and Ms Katerina Kavazi, Architect.
FRANCE
Mr Simon Porcher, Professor – University Paris Dauphine, Professor Tra Tran, Director of MSc Public Policy and International Cooperation – Audencia, Professor Anne Launois – Audencia, Mr Tristan Mathieu, Director Public Affairs & CSR Veolia, Mr Christian Piel, Director Urbanwater and Ms Camille Thisse, Operations Manager – Docks of Saint Quen and Jean François Clerc, Deputy Mayor of Saint-Quen-Sur Seine.
Lathea Group Press Release
