Council President addresses world leaders on water security

Singapore, 3 June 2014 – Water is a political issue and will continue to be a primary concern to world leaders and the global community, due to climate change, increased population growth, urbanization and rising consumption within the growing middle class in emerging markets across the globe, said World Water Council President Benedito Braga at the Water Leaders Summit Roundtable in Singapore.  During a panel session with global business and government leaders, Mr Braga stressed the importance of finding solutions to efficient water use in food production, the need for integrated water management and improved management of transboundary rivers. 

 

This roundtable discussion, chaired by Asit Biswas, Founder of the Third World Centre for Water Management, focused on sustainable water resource management and water security based around three key pillars: human, socio-economic and environmental. Water security has been at the heart of the issues addressed by the World Water Council, who in the past months have been advocating firmly for a stand-alone water goal in the United Nation’s post 2015 Development Agenda. 

 

The Water Leaders’ Summit roundtable entitled “Water for All: Solutions for a Better Future” included distinguished world leaders such as Angel Gurria, Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources of China, Herbert Oberhaensli, Vice-President of the Economics and International Relations of Nestle, Patrick Decker, Chief Executive Officer and President of Xylem, and Tan Gee Paw, Chairman of PUB Singapore. 

 

The Water Leaders’ Summit is a pillar component of the biannual event Singapore International Water Week and consolidates the insights, perspectives, and expertise of top international water leaders in a single global arena. The Summit brings government, international organizations, and industry players together with the common goal of addressing global challenges through policy-making and thought leadership.