The World Water Forum is one of the largest water-related gathering and conference that is jointly organized by the World Water Council and a co-host city that takes place every three years.
Aim World Water Forum aims to:
Raise awareness with decision makers and the public at large on water issues and, subsequently, to generate action; Contribute to improving access to water supply and sanitation and report on progress towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals;The United Nations Millennium Declaration (18 September 2000) outlined 8 goals (MDGs) to meet the needs of the world’s poorest. They range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education, all by the target date of 2015. Goal 7, Target 2 specifically refers to reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water, but water provision is also key to making progress on many of the other Goals Provide opportunities to progressively develop shared visions on challenging water issues, to develop new partnerships and to pave the way for cooperation and action among a wide diversity of organisations and individuals; Encourage greater media attention for water issues and solutions
Locations Location Year Approximate Total Number of Attendees (including Fair and Expo) ThemeRiyadh2027Bali, Indonesia20247,334"Water for Shared Prosperity" Dakar, Senegal 2022 TBA "Water Security for Peace and Development" Brasília, Brazil 2018 120,000 "Sharing water" Daegu–Gyeongbuk, South Korea 2015~ 30,000 entries "Water for our Future" Marseille, France 2012 approx. 35,000 entries "Solutions for Water" Istanbul, Turkey 2009 over 30,000 "Bridging Divides for Water" Mexico City, Mexico 2006 27,500 "Local Actions for a Global Challenge" Kyoto, Japan 2003 250,000 "A Forum with a Difference" The Hague, Netherlands 2000 39,100 "From Vision to Action" Marrakesh, Morocco 1997 500 "Vision for Water, Life and the Environment"
Components The forum is made up of four primary components:
The thematic programme which provides the substantive discussions in the form of sessions and panels. The political process which provides the opportunity for discussion with elected officials (local authorities, parliamentarians, ministers) and resulting in various statements and commitments. The regional process which provides perspectives on water from all regions of the world. The fair and expo which provides a space for all stakeholders to showcase their contributions.
Each of these components benefits from extensive preparatory processes that commence two years prior to the World Water Forum.
Past editions have included other features, such as side events, a learning centre, a children's forum, a youth forum, a children's education village, water and film encounters and cultural entertainment.
World Water Council
The World Water Council (WWC), also known as the Conseil Mondial de l'Eau (CME), is an international think tank. It was founded in 1996, with its headquarters in Marseille, France. It has 358 members (as of February 2020) which encompass organizations from the UN and intergovernmental organizations, the private sector (construction, engineering and manufacturing companies), governments and ministries, academic institutions, international organizations, local governments and civil society groups. Founders and constituent members of the World Water Council are the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the International Water Association (IWA), AquaFed (The International Federation of Private Water Operators), Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux, the United Nations agencies UNDP and UNESCO, as well as the World Bank.World Water Council Constitution & By-Laws
Its stated mission is "to promote awareness, build political commitment and trigger action on critical water issues at all levels, including the highest decision-making level, to facilitate the efficient conservation, protection, development, planning, management, and use of water in all its dimensions on an environmentally sustainable basis for the benefit of all life on earth."
Every third year the World Water Council organizes the World Water Forum in close collaboration with the authorities of the hosting country. The Forum is the largest international event in the field of water. The 6th World Water Forum took place in Marseille, France, in 2012 and the 7th World Water Forum in Daegu-Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea, in April 2015. The 8th World Water Forum took place in Brasilia, Brazil, from 18 to 23 March 2018 under the overarching theme 'Sharing Water'. The 9th World Water Forum was held in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2021, while the 10th World Water Forum has been organized in Bali, Indonesia during May 2024. Saudi Arabia was handed over the flag of World Water Forum on 24 May 2024 at the closing ceremony of 10th World Water Forum in Bali. Saudi Arabia will be hosting the 11th World Water Forum in 2027.
The World Water Council is financed primarily through membership fees, and additional support is provided by the host City of Marseille. Specific projects and programs are financed through donations and grants from governments, international organizations, and NGOs.
Colleges and membership distribution As of February 2020, the World Water Council members are divided into 5 colleges: College 1: Intergovernmental organizations – 4% College 2: Governments and government promoted organizations – 22% College 3: Commercial organizations – 22% College 4: Civil society organizations – 22% College 5: Professional and academic organizations – 31%
Criticism Critics pin on the World Water Council for promotion of privatisation of water supply, an indication of which is a great influence of financial institutions and global water corporations.Maude Barlow and Tony Clarke, "Blue Gold: The Battle Against Corporate Theft of the World's Water" (2002). The Canadian activist Tony Clarke describes the World Water Council as a smoke screen for the water lobby. Medha Patkar, an activist from India, gave a passionate speech against privatization of water at the 2nd World Water Forum in The Hague in 2000.
History
1st World Water Forum: Morocco
The first World Water Forum, following the creation of the World Water Council, took place in Marrakesh, Morocco, on 21–23 March 1997.The following publication contains the papers that were presented during the 1st World Water Forum: Water, The World's Common Heritage: Proceedings of the First World Water Forum. (1997). (Eds. M. Ait-Kadi, A. Shady, A. Szollosi-Nagy). Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd. 212 p It laid the basis for the development of a long-term "Vision for Water, Life and the Environment in the 21st Century." Sessions included:
Perspectives on world water On the road toward a long-term vision for world water The challenges of the 21st century Celebration of World Water Day
2nd World Water Forum: Netherlands
The 2nd World Water Forum in The Hague from 17 to 22 March 2000 generated much debate on the World Water VisionThe World Water Vision Commission Report was produced by the independent World Commission on Water for the 21st Century and presented during the 2nd World Water Forum. On-line version available here. This report is the culmination of an unprecedented participatory process that provided an overview of the state of the world’s water resource and its future and led to the World Water Vision. On-line version available in English, French and Spanish. Executive summary available in French and Spanish and the associated Framework for Action,The Framework for Action aimed to design an approach to follow up on the strategy outlined in the World Water Vision. It was presented during the 2nd World Water Forum. On-line versions available here dealing with the state and ownership of water resources, their development potential, management and financing models, and their impact on poverty, social, cultural and economic development and the environment. The ministerial declarationThe Final Report of the 2nd World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference can be found online here identified the following key challenges: meeting basic water needs, securing food supply, protecting ecosystems, sharing water resources, managing risks, valuing water and governing water wisely.
15,000 people were involved in the Vision related discussions 5,700 participants attended the forum 114 ministers and officials from 130 countries were present at the ministerial conference 500 journalists reported on the event 32,500 people visited the World Water Fair
The 2nd World Water Forum was a major event in the global water community. It helped to raise awareness of the global water crisis and to galvanize action to address the key challenges. The key challenges identified in the ministerial declaration are still relevant today, and they require urgent attention.
3rd World Water Forum: Japan
The 3rd World Water Forum, held in Kyoto, Shiga and Osaka, Japan, from 16 to 23 March 2003, assembled a huge number and variety of stakeholders as compared to previous editions of the forum. In addition, the debate was furthered within the context of the new commitments of meeting the goals set forth at the United Nations in New York (2000), in Bonn (2001) and then in Johannesburg (2002).
The 3rd World Water Forum offered 351 sessions under 38 themes.This document offers a concise view of the outcomes of the 3rd Forum as well as a reflection on future perspectives. On-line version available here. A complete report of the 3rd World Water Forum, the 3rd World Water Forum Final Report features facts and figures, speeches, statements and commitments, the Ministerial Declaration, thematic and regional statements, results of competitions and contests, reports and publications and list of Forum participants, among other things. On-line version available here In addition, the "World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure", chaired by Michel Camdessus, presented its conclusionsWinpenny, James. Financing Water for All. (2003). 54 p. On-line version available here. Executive summary also available in English and Japanese on what should be done to find adequate financing for water infrastructure and offered specific proposals on how this can be achieved, and by whom.
New concepts were introduced such as a Virtual Water Forum,The virtual water forum final report is a compilation of all the online sessions held during the 21 months prior to the 3rd World Water Forum. In addition to its descriptive content of discussions, the report contains detailed statistical data such as number of participants and postings. On-line version available here which consisted of about 166 interactive sessions available through Internet, and the Water Voices Project,The “Water Voice” project report can be found here where 27,000 opinions of ordinary citizens were collected from 142 countries. The World Water Actions reportThe World Water Actions report presents an overview and analysis of nearly 3000 actions around the world that address the urgent priorities identified in the "World Water Vision.” An annotated database of the actions can be consulted at: www.worldwatercouncil.org/search_actions.php On-line overview available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Japanese inventoried over 3,000 local water actions.