The Jury is formed by international experts of proven distinction in the water and communication sector from international organizations, initiatives, universities and Think Tanks.
After being evaluated by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), all applications are forwarded to this international Jury which reviews all applications and votes for selecting winners of the 2013 edition.

His Excellency Sirodjidin M. Aslov
President of the Jury of the 2013 edition of the "Water for Life" UN-Water Best Practices Award. Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations.
Ambassador Sirodjidin M. Aslov was appointed as the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations in 2005. Since 2004, Ambassador Aslov has been Tajikistan’s First Deputy Foreign Minister, and from 2002 to 2005 he served as the Chairman of the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. From 1996 to 2004, he served as his country’s permanent representative in the Executive Committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. Mr. Aslov spent 16 years with Tajikistan’s Ministry of Environment, including a one-year term (1995-1996) as the Deputy Chief of the Hydrometeorological Service. In 2004 and 2005, he served as Tajikistan’s Coordinator to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He is the author of three monographs and some 40 articles on the environment and hydrometeorological issues, including on the monitoring of Tajikistan’s Lake Sarez, and regional cooperation in transboundary rivers.

Avinash C. Tyagi
Secretary General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID)
Mr. Avinash C Tyagi, is presently Secretary General of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID). Recently, he has been inducted into the Governing Board of UNESCO-IHE, Delft. Prior to this, he was Director of the Climate and Water Department of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). An Indian water management expert, he has worked for over 28 years in India and was Commissioner of Policy and Planning in the Union Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India, before he joined the WMO in 2003.

Mr. Tyagi has long experience in various facets of water resources management. As Director of Climate and Water Department, Mr. Tyagi was responsible for providing support to the WMO Member countries in the field of water resources management including flood management and climate related activities including adaptation to climate change particularly in the water sector and agriculture sectors.

Mr. Tyagi is an ardent advocate of multi-disciplinary collaboration for solving complex development challenges, a continuing dialogue with various stakeholders and community participation in the water sector. At WMO he has contributed to the development of Global Framework for Climate Services, an initiative launched by WMO and its partner UN Agencies to meet the societal needs for adaptation to increasing climate variability and change in various sectors.

Caridad Canales Davila
Economic Affairs Officer, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
Caridad Canales entered the United Nations system in June 2010, joining the Natural Resources and Infrastructure Division of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) as Economic Affairs Officer. Since starting, Caridad has collaborated on various publications related to the management of water and sanitation services in the region and has participated in several conferences speaking on topics such as water and climate change, new water culture and water resources assessment.

Prior to joining ECLAC, she was a specialist in corporate social responsibility at the Earthwatch Institute in England for over two years. During this time, she developed research programs in conjunction with companies from various sectors and contributed to the implementation and coordination of projects on sustainable agricultural practices and climate change adaptation. In 2006 Caridad was awarded the Shell-Chevening scholarship to pursue a Masters in Environmental Sciences at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. She has also completed various postgraduate and specialist courses in sustainable development; environmental law and policy; standards and certification in water resources management. She served for more than three years as an environmental specialist and coordinator of one of Latin America's largest telecommunications companies, contributing to the development of one of the pioneering environmental certification programs in that sector in Mexico.

In addition to her specialization in water management and sustainable development, Caridad also has training in international relations and politics.

Jens Berggren
Director, Stockholm Water Prize and Stockholm Industry Water Prize, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Mr. Jens Berggren is Director for Stockholm Water Prize and Stockholm Industry Water Award as well as for SIWI’s engagement with major international processes such as the development of post-2015 goals. Mr. Berggren joined SIWI as Director for the World Water Week in Stockholm in July 2010, being responsible for leading the operation and development of SIWI’s annual World Water Week. In 2011 he was also assumed overall responsibility for SIWI’s Prizes. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Berggren served as Special Advisor in the Secretariat for the Commission for Climate Change and Development at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, where he focused on Development Policy within the fields of Environment and Climate Change. Mr. Berggren has also worked with water issues as a policy specialist, programme manager and advisor at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) both at headquarters in Sweden and at Swedish embassies abroad.

Mr. Berggren holds two Master Science degrees from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, one in Agronomy and the other in Technology. He served as the first manager of the secretariat of the Water Integrity Network at Transparency International in Berlin and has worked with energy issues, internationally and in Sweden, with Sweden’s largest power company.

Léna Salamé
Programme Specialist - Coordinator From Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential (PCCP), Division of Water Sciences, UNESCO
Léna Salamé graduated as a jurist in compared French and Lebanese law. She obtained her Diplôme d’études approfondies (DEA) in International public law and international organizations, from the Panthéon Sorbonne – Université de Paris 1 in Paris in 1999. She is a trained mediator and negotiator. Since June 2002, she has been serving as the overall coordinator of UNESCO’s programme on water conflicts and cooperation: PCCP.

Ms. Salamé lectures on issues related to shared water resources, international water conflicts and cooperation, and alternative dispute resolution techniques at international and national events. She also serves as a trainer on these topics within the framework of formal and informal educational programmes. She is involved in the development of research and educational tools aiming at increasing trust among stakeholders concerned with the management of shared water resources at various levels and contributing to peace, cooperation and development related to these resources.

Shaoyi Li
Head, Integrated Resource Management Unit, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Mr. Li is managing the Secretariat of the International Resource Panel, a science-policy expert team engaged in scientific assessment of sustainable use of natural resources from a life-cycle perspective. Mr. Li is leading a team to develop and implement UNEP policy and programme for resource efficiency and environmental sustainability and contribute to policy discourse at the global and regional levels on sustainable management of natural resources. Before joining UNEP, Mr. Shaoyi LI was Officer-in-Charge, Environment and Development Division, and Chief, Energy Security Section, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (). ESCAP In the capacity of Officer-in-Charge, Mr. Li directed environment and sustainable development work of ESCAP that included: the preparation and organization of intergovernmental conferences, conduct of in-depth policy analysis and implementation of technical assistance programmes and projects. As Chief for Energy Section, Mr. Li was responsible for the development and implementation of ESCAP’s energy programme with a focus on widening access to modern energy services to the poor and enhancing energy security in an environmentally sustainable manner. Before working for ESCAP, Mr. Li worked for the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs responsible for the preparation and organization of intergovernmental negotiations and international conferences on sustainable development, policy study on energy and environment including climate change and the management of a number of large technical cooperation projects in the field of energy for sustainable development.