It is a great pleasure for us of the International Forum Committee to issue this second announcement of the 6th World Water Forum, Marseille 2012. This is the Forum of solutions and commitments, and as such, we are looking for concrete actions towards solving the water problems around the world. We invite proposals that will be feasible under financial, social and environmental boundary conditions. The possibilities offered to the water professionals, water users and the NGO community to interact with high-level political decision-makers make the Forum an ideal platform for discussing the way forward.
Ben Braga
President, International Forum Committee
Vice-president, World Water Council

Programme at a glance

Take a look at the preprogramme of the Forum week, the innovations, the highlights an the expected output on the second announcement of the Forum.

Water priorities & targets

Here are the Forum first priorities. Our next newsletters will cover all global water priorities for action as well as thematic and regional targets.

1.1 Guarantee access to water for all and the Right to Water
In 1990 77% of the world population used an “improved source” of water as defined by the WHO-UNICEF Joint Monitoring Program. End 2008 this percentage had been increased to 87% and the number of people without access to improved water sources had been reduced to around 900 million giving hope to reaching the MDG target on access to water by 2015.
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1.2 Improve access to integrated sanitation services for all
Sanitation is a neglected aspect of development in most countries where public spending is limited, and where conflicting and competing priorities crowd the political agenda. As a result, billions of people in low and middle income countries still lack access to improved sanitation and sustainable service delivery.
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1.3 Contribute to hygiene and health through water and sanitation
It is estimated that almost 10 % of the global burden of disease is associated with lack of access to adequate sanitation and safe drinking-water, of proper hygiene and of effective water management. More specifically, diarrhoea is estimated to kill almost 2.4 million children under five every year.
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Time for solutions

Accelerating Self Supply for Rural Water Supply (ACCESS) Self Supply is based on incremental improvements that are easily replicable and use affordable technologies. > Log in and read more

		Based-Collaboration and Common Monitoring Networks of Pollution for Aras Transboundary River Basin The project of “Reducing Trans-boundary Degradation of the Kura-Aras River” was conducted in the period of 2004-2007. > Log in and read more

On the path to political solutions

Trialogues will be organised in Marseille, March 2012, among Ministers, Parliamentarians and Local or Regional Authorities. These Trialogues will be based on targets selected by the regions themselves and discussed as to how each level of government can help the other in their implementation and whether improved multi-level governance mechanisms would aid in achieving their solutions.
> More on the political process commission

An eye on the blue planet

Because mobilising and engaging stakeholders throughout the world is key, the Forum regional process is organised around 4 large continental regions: Africa, Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe, and 3 cross-continental regions: Central Asia, Mediterranean and Arab Countries. Each month, our newsletter will focus on one region of the world, its priorities and targets.
> More on the regional process commission