FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 23, 2009

Contact: Felisa Neuringer Klubes 202.663.5626
E-mail: fklubes@jhu.edu

JHU SAIS and CSIS to Host Water and Agriculture Conference

The Johns Hopkins Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) will hold a one-day conference, “Water and Agriculture: Implications for Development and Growth,” on Monday, March 30 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

John Briscoe, the Gordon McKay Professor of Practice of Environmental Engineering at Harvard University, will give the morning keynote address about “Availability, Distribution and Control of Water for Agriculture” at 9:15 a.m. Briscoe previously served as the World Bank’s senior water adviser and country director for Brazil. At 3:15 p.m., Ger Bergkamp, director general of the World Water Council, will give the afternoon keynote address about “Future of Water and Agriculture.” Experts from international organizations, government, business, NGOs and academia will speak throughout the day in the following sessions:

9 a.m. Opening Remarks by SAIS Dean Jessica Einhorn
9:15 a.m. Morning Keynote Address by John Briscoe
10:15 a.m. Panel 1: “Political Economy of Water and Agriculture”
11:30 a.m. Working Lunch: “Water and Agriculture in U.S. Foreign Assistance”
12:30 p.m. Panel 2: “Water and Agricultural Competitiveness”
2 p.m. Panel 3: “Technology in Water and Agriculture”
3:15 p.m. Afternoon Keynote Address by Ger Bergkamp
4 p.m. Closing Session

For a complete agenda or to participate in the conference via live Webcast, go to
www.sais-jhu.edu/waterconference.

The conference, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the Kenney Auditorium of the school’s Nitze Building, located at 1740 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. Members of the public should register online at the above URL or by calling 202.775.3296.

This conference, part of SAIS’s “Year of Water” initiative, is made possible through funding and support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Media who want to cover the event should contact Felisa Neuringer Klubes in the SAIS Communications Office at 202.663.5626 or fklubes@jhu.edu.