Catalyzing Action at Korea International Water Week

“The first Korean International Water Week will be an important enabler for our global efforts,” World Water Council Treasurer Guy Fradin said last week at the Opening Ceremony of Korea International Water Week in Daegu, Republic of Korea. He was speaking on behalf of Council President Benedito Braga, in the presence of Kang Hoin, Minister of Land Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea. “Many international processes are rising to the occasion to meet our water challenges,” Mr. Fradin continued. “We shall seek to create more paths and implement more solutions as we move towards the 8th World Water Forum in Brasilia in 2018.” The ceremony marked the beginning of a three-day international gathering in which the Council actively participated. On 19 and 20 October, the World Water Council and Korea Water Forum co-organized the 7th World Water Forum Implementation Roadmaps Annual Review Meeting. Building upon the World Water Council’s event “Action speaks louder than words: Implementation Roadmaps for catalyzing change” held in August 2016 during the Stockholm International Water Week, the meeting gathered Daegu-Gyeongbuk Implementation Commitment (DGIC) Champions to assess progress, share information and responsibilities, and plan activities in the lead-up to the 8th World Water Forum, in 2018, in Brazil.  In his opening, Mr. Fradin reminded participants that the Implementation Roadmaps are an innovative mechanism to bridge editions of the World Water Forum and “therefore, the feedback of DGIC Champions, who are at the forefront of this initiative, is crucial to readjust and smooth the process”. The session also helped identify necessary updates to be made to the online Action Monitoring System platform and the bi-annual Progress Report of which the second edition was launched on this occasion.  On the second day of the meeting, Prof. Werneck-Lima, Vice-Chair of the 8th World Water Forum Thematic Process Commission presented the preparatory process of the Brazilian Forum and engaged in a dialogue with DGIC Champions on the added value that Implementation Roadmaps will be bringing to Brasilia in 2018. In parallel, the World Water Council participated in bilateral meetings with Minister Kang and Vice-Minister Yoo Seong-jong and other high-level officials. The Council was also highly involved in the Water Leaders Roundtables and the World Water Partnership session and contributed to fruitful discussions on the sustainable development of water.