Blue gold for green growth

World Water Council (WWC) President Loïc Fauchon is convinced that « the enrichment of man shall not be done through the depletion of nature ». To him, green growth should be based on equitable distribution between man and nature and not on plundering. Yet, one thing is certain: “There is no development without water, but there is not enough water for development ". Water is actually linked with green growth, according to the Korean ambassador for water resources, Eun-kyung Park. She makes the case that green growth has to be based on efficient water use and on promoting economic tools for development. To do so, emphasis should be given to the social dimension of green growth. In total, 26 case studies providing details on green growth best practices were presented during the first session of the experts group working on the role of water in green growth. This group, which gathers high level international actors, has planned to meet two to three times throughout 2012. 

The south korean case 
In Korea, more than 17 billion dollars were invested in rivers restoration, underlined Seung-soo Han, who is the Republic of Korea’s former Prime Minister and President of the Global Green Growth Institute. This high level panel is, according to Seung-soo Han – for whom water issues are global – a good start of a global effort to find integrated solutions so that governments recognise the essential role of water in green growth.

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