Professor John Briscoe named 2014 Stockholm Water Prize Laureate

 

Marseille, 25 March 2014 - World Water Council celebrates the recognition of one of its founding members´ outstanding work. Benedito Braga, President of the Council, declared today in Sao Paulo, Brazil, about the renowned expert, who was for many years a Governor of the World Water Council, that “Mr. Briscoe was key in laying the base for the actual strategy of the World Water Council towards a water secure world”. 

 

The Prize Committee recognizes Prof. Briscoe’s genius which “lies in his fusion of science, policy and practice, giving him unrivalled insights into how water should be managed to improve the lives of people worldwide”. Prof. Briscoe will receive the reward in September 2014 for his “combined world-class research with policy implementation and practice to improve the development and management of water resources as well as access to safe drinking water and sanitation.”

 

“I consider the award to be one which recognizes the importance of ‘thinking practitioners’, exactly the sort of people who have been critical in making the World Water Council such an important and inclusive global organization and the World Water Fora so important,” said Briscoe.

 

Now Harvard University Professor, John Briscoe was praised as a policy maker and as a field practitioner, for bridging the divide between sound environmental management and economic development objectives. Professor Briscoe has become known for his passionate commitment to sustainable economic development, his disrespect for constructed boundaries between sectors and people, and for his insistence that the voice of people who are affected – from the poorest of farmers, to the private sector, to political leaders – be heard. As a professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the School of Public Health at Harvard University, his focus is on educating “the next generation of specialized integrators” – people who are deeply schooled in a discipline but also know how to work across disciplines. More on http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/john-briscoe/