World Water Council: Countries must deliver roadmap for a water secure world
- Implementation Roadmap developed to guide work of next three years
- Sustainable Development Goals in September mark next milestone
- Major political agreements made at the 7th World Water Forum
The 7th World Water Forum entitled ‘Water for our Future’ drew to a close today, and was heralded by participants as the most politically impactful ever.
The 7th World Water Forum brought together over 30,000 visitors from 168 countries which comprised 9 heads of State, 80 government ministers and 100 official national governments delegations. All of these participants have engaged in dialogue and debate putting water at the heart of our future. During the week, the water community and decision-makers agreed that investing in water must be a top priority for the political agenda in the next decade.
To guide this action, an ambitious roadmap has been formalized which paves the way for the 8th World Water Forum which will take place in Brasilia in 2018. This is the first time a formal commitment has been signed at the World Water Forum to ensure appropriate action is taken by all stakeholders. This is a ready-to-use resource for governments which covers the fields of Financing Infrastructure, Food Security, Green Growth and Governance, and all other aspects of water security. The progress of this roadmap can be followed online to ensure transparency and accountability for actions. The World Water Council, the Republic of Korea and Brazil will ensure that countries will deliver actions.
The next major milestone on the roadmap is the Sustainable Development Goals which will be set in New York in September. There was consensus at the World Water Forum that a Sustainable Development Goal for Water should be adopted and that countries should use the roadmap to support implementation.
The 7th World Water Forum facilitated a number of political agreements which mark a step forward in international water co-operation. These agreements include the historic signing of a new agreement between the US and Mexico regarding the Colorado River Management. The Forum also saw a trilateral ministerial meeting between Japan-China-Korea where ministers pledged to strengthen the core-role of water in sustainable development and attract more financial investment in the water sectors.
Benedito Braga, President of the World Water Council said “The 7th Forum has demonstrated that it is the place where world leaders in the water community come to mobilize political action.
“The pledges made during the 7th Forum will be carried to New York as a major contribution to the adoption of a Sustainable Development Goal on water.
“A clear commitment has emerged from this week: to carry forward an agenda for action that will send a clear signal to the world: we know what needs to be done, and we are getting on with the job.”
The 7th Forum once again has proven to be the place where the water community comes together to trigger action at all levels.