ICE, together with the International Coalition for Sustainable Infrastructure (ICSI), invite you to the Middle East and North Africa region lecture of our 14th Brunel International Lecture series building on the theme of resilience and sustainability in infrastructure development.

Chaired by ICSI executive director Savina Carluccio, the lecture will focus on challenges, opportunities, engineering solutions, and best practice examples specific to the Middle East and North Africa.

Massive population growth and migration has stimulated the creation of new cities in a region that is already challenged by water scarcity and inadequate waste management. These challenges have created a pressing need for building robust and resilient urban planning initiatives and developing waste management systems.

Despite growing wealth from natural resources, issues such as coastal erosion, flooding, and biodiversity loss are major issues across the region and especially for those countries within the region that are already struggling to secure sustainable development finance.

The keynote address will be given by Dr Georges Youssef, the Mayor of Menjez. The city lies on the northern boundary of Lebanon and Syria, and despite its socio-political issues, Dr Youssef has been part of the team that has created a multitude of sustainable and resilient initiatives. These have included reforestation activity planting over 25,000 trees, increasing power generation via a new photovoltaic power plant, developing rainwater harvesting plans, and a move towards municipal lighting using LED lights.

A Board Member of the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM), Mayor Youssef serves as an ambassador for urban climate action at the local, national, and global levels. He has considerable experience in developing and financing sustainable and green infrastructure in the MENA region.

Join us as we explore subjects including:

• Water scarcity and water insecurity
• Cultural heritage and cultural identity
• Climate change and energy
• Climate resilience and adaptability

We will also identify how engineers can support positive change by influencing policy, improving communication, and cooperating across regions to share knowledge.

Following the keynote address, Savina Carluccio will moderate an interactive panel discussion with an expert line-up including:

• Professor Khalifa Saif Sultan Al-Jabri, Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Oman
• Moustafa Yehia, Director of Sustainability, AtkinsRéalis
• Nick Gardner, Head of Programme, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)

The Brunel International Lecture Series shines a spotlight on equitable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure challenges around the world and showcases what engineers globally are doing to help address those challenges.

Mitigation and adaptation efforts are both necessary for tackling climate change impacts, however, the latter is often overshadowed by the former. It is important to tackle climate change impacts that are felt now, whilst preparing for the future with resilient infrastructure.

The lectures provide a platform for dialogue with high-profile leaders across the globe while focusing on practical engineering issues in tackling climate change at the local level.