More than 200 local elected representatives and experts commit themselves to the water cause! Preparatory Conference for the 6th World Water Forum
Preparatory Conference for the 6th World Water Forum
Press kit (pdf): English – Spanish – Portuges
May 30th press release (pdf): English – Spanish – Portuges
“Access to drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental right of all human beings” |
More than two hundred local elected representatives and those responsible for water and sanitation matters, representing some sixty countries are expected in Lyon to kick off the “political process of local and regional authorities” of the 6th World Water Forum. The Objective: to reinforce their mobilization for the implementation of the right of access to water and sanitation, the sustainable management of water resources and international cooperation.
This stage is strategic in the preparation of the 6th World Water Forum, for it will enable the commitments made in March 2009 in Istanbul to be amplified.
Moving from debates about the stakes to firm commitments to solutions
While the previous Forums, The Hague in 2000, Kyoto in 2003, Mexico City in 2006 and Istanbul in 2009, have provided a diagnosis of the enormous problems which confront the developed and developing countries, the Marseille Forum is expected to make significant progress in three domains: effective access to water and sanitation, trans-border cooperation and the involvement of local and regional authorities.
Local and regional authorities: key players in the water and sanitation sector
Effective access to water and sanitation for the innumerable populations throughout the world who suffer from a cruel lack of it, in a great many countries requires recognition of the role of local and regional authorities who are closest to the ground. A good number of these authorities are active in this domain on a daily basis and this conference will enable them to show the “solutions” that they have developed and help train their opposite numbers throughout the world.
Mobilization around the Istanbul Water Consensus: obtain 1,000 signatories
One of the major products of the Istanbul Forum in 2009 was the “Istanbul Water Consensus” already signed by some 700 cities and regions from 47 countries which are committing themselves concretely to implement such “solutions”. The objective of the Lyon conference is to mobilize the elected representatives in such a way as to exceed 1,000 city signatories during the Marseille Forum in March 2012 and reaffirm the essential role of local and regional authorities in the world water policy debate.
This conference is co-organized by the International Committee of the Marseille Forum, Greater Lyon and the Rhone Mediterranean and Corsica Water Agency.
Organized jointly by the French State, the World Water Council and the city of Marseille, the 6th World Water Forum which is to take place from 12th to 17th March 2012 in the Southern French metropolis will be the “Forum of Solutions”. The four preparatory processes of this Forum (political, regional, local and thematic) coordinate their activities to prepare and facilitate the implementation of the solutions likely to be beneficial to the priority actions identified.
If you would like to participate and come and meet us, please contact:
Aurore Sun: +33 (6) 19 80 42 67 // a.sun@worldwaterforum6.org
Claudine Chilinski : +33 (0)6 38 13 16 51 // c.chilinski@worldwaterforum6.org
Istanbul Water Consensus
One major production of the political process of the local and regional authorities during the 5th World Water Forum, was the Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC), a world agreement between local and regional authorities who wish to adapt their water infrastructure and services to the new challenges which confronted them, such as climate change, uncontrolled urban growth, the depletion and pollution of water resources or even the fatigue of the existing infrastructure. The 720 signatories to this Consensus have committed themselves to prepare an action plan so as to analyze and meet these challenges, to introduce a series of indicators and report on the progress realized on the occasion of the next World Water Forum in Marseille. Elsewhere, 12 large cities, including Vienna, Osaka, Entebbe, Incheon, Paris and Buenos Aires, will be used as catalysts in specific questions in their role as “pilot cities” of the Consensus.
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