Share your solutions with the world. Contribute to the 6^th World Water Forum

Focusing on practical actions, the 6^th World Water Forum aims to be the Forum of solutions and commitments. Thus, to collect and share concrete contributions from all horizons, an international Platform for Solutions is now open www.solutionsforwater.org. Open to all, this interactive tool enables everyone to propose and access feasible solutions, related to the Forum priorities and targets. It also helps foster and secure the necessary commitments for their implementation and upscaling throughout the world. This international platform is a working space, a knowledge-sharing basis, a network as well as an international communication and exchange device, to last beyond March 2012.

Now over 650 active members and 430 solutions submitted. Already, thousands of visitors from 137 countries. And numbers are growing fast.

Existing or innovative, solutions can be institutional (governance structures, plans, policies...), legal (a law, a decree, a treaty...), technical (an appropriate device, a plant, a tool, a software...), financial (levy, transfers, tariffs...) or educational (advocacy campaigns, videos, information leaflets...). Above all, the solution must contribute to tackling a key water-related issue and help reach the World Water Forum targets in any regions in the world.

Join the change makers in Marseille. Share your solutions. Each month, discover a few examples of Solutions and Commitments shared with the world, see below.

The International Forum Committe Team

Programme at a glance

> Click here to see the provisional programme

On the path to political solutions

1^st Preparatory Committee Meeting of the Ministerial Process in Paris, France, Dec. 5 & 6, 2011

3 questions to András Szöllösi-Nagy, coordinator of the Governmental Process for the 6^th World Water Forum

-What is the purpose of the meeting?
The purpose of the meeting is to come up with a first draft of the ministerial statement. In order to start the discussion the delegates have the chairperson's paper in front of them. In light of the discussions, this text will certainly go through several changes until it will be adopted by consensus. In the meantime, there will be a major stakeholder consultation organised in order to have feedback from the major groups.

-What is the benefit of this process?
The benefit and the hope is that the Ministerial Statement, and for that matter the conference, will put water higher up the political agenda. The World Water Forum is a non-governmental forum that, however, could make very significant contributions more formal processes such as the Rio+20 Intergovernmental Process. Some documents for Rio have already been sent by the IFC and the Council so we indeed have an opportunity to raise the profile of water issues. Some, for instance, suggest that through, with and by water that climate change negotiations could be significantly revitalised as the principal impacts will be through, by and with water. So we must open a new window and that window is water, I believe.

-What do you hope to achieve?
To raise the profile of water at all levels of political life, but particularly at governmental level. Don't forget that the last full-fledged inter-governmental water meeting was in 1977 in Mar del Plata and matters concerning waters have fundamentally changed since that milestone United Nations gathering. Therefore, there is an imperative to try and encourage further engagement and renewal of discussions around water issues at this level.

> Read more about the Preparatory Committee Meeting of the Ministerial Process

Coordinator : j.newton@worldwaterforum6.org

Greater involvement of mayors and local authorities in the 6^th World Water Forum

In March 2012, 180 countries, 140 ministerial delegations and over 350 mayors and representatives of local and regional authorities are expected in Marseille. Ultimately, the expected outcome is a stronger recognition of the role of local and regional authorities (LRA) in the global political debate on water. The Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC) is the cornerstone of the LRA process of the 6^th World Water Forum.

“After recognition in Mexico of the direct connection between efficacy and democratic water management, the Istanbul Forum promoted LRA’s commitments throughout a consensus, genuine action plan to adapt water services to tomorrow’s challenges. The stakes of Marseille’s Forum lie in the implementation of this consensus on all continents and the outreach of a constructive dialog at all political level to let solutions arise.”
Pierre Victoria, Governor of the World Water Council, co-chair of the Local and Regional Authorities’ process.

Mayors, officials: come and participate in the 3^rd International Conference of Local and Regional Authorities for Water on March 14 & 15, 2012

“We firmly believe, that the local level is in a privileged position to response most adequately to the needs and expectations of citizens, communities and territories…
Climate change calls more than ever for collective action: facing the emergency, national governments should facilitate us access to mechanisms of adaptation and mitigation to answer the challenges.
We must share our solutions in order to fully remain in the spirit of the next World Water Forum. Our citizens have great expectations towards their elected officials and we need to respond to these expectations.”
E. Sengul, Councillor, representing Kadir Topbas, Mayor of Istanbul and Chair of United Cities and Local Governments.

“In a context of the growth of cities, and the ever more poignant importance of the urban dynamics in the national economies and international relations, the metropolitan areas are the strategic place for the promotion of sustainable development. This is particularly true for the question of the water resource, for it is in the city that many of the stakes linked to water are played out - supply, treatment, distribution, sharing, sanitation – the responses are also to be found here since the local authorities are the main managers of this resource.
By signing the Istanbul Water Consensus, the partners have recognized the urgent need to develop new frameworks for more effective action: local and regional authorities depend in fact on legal, institutional and financial frameworks which are too often far removed from the realities of the field. In these circumstances and in the face of this emergency, we have undertaken to do something which it is in our power to do to improve the governance of water and orient our local policies towards a more sustainable management of water resources and the infrastructure of water and sanitation systems.”
Jean Paul Colin, Vice-Chair of Greater Lyon and Mayor of Albigny sur Saône, 30 May 2011 at Lyon during Kick-Off conference of the Local and regional authorities’ political process.

Watch the testimonials of mayors and LRA officials:
> Kick Off meeting, Lyon May 30-31, 2011
> Congress of French Mayors, Paris, November 22-24, 2011

Learn more about the LRA goals and the Istanbul Water Consensus Pact

Coordinator: c.dubreuil@worldwatercouncil.org

Grassroots & Citizenship

International Youth mobilisation for the Forum

Several initiatives for and by youth groups are taking place on the run up to the 6th Forum. Because children, students, young professionals and young WYPW parliamentarians are invited to play an active role, the Grassroots & Citizenship commission has set up programs geared towards several priorities:
• Give a voice to the new generations and help trans-generational exchanges
• Educate the youth as well as the general public to water issues, to difficulties other youth are facing, and to possible solutions
• Create or develop water-related youth networks onto the international scene
• Arouse a wide and significant involvement from the youth during the Forum week in Marseille and give them access to high level discussions

Read about the World Youth Parliament for Water, the young professionals network, school visits, and more…

Contact : youth@worldwaterforum6.org

Forum Priorities - Targets - Conditions for Success

The Forum counts 12 Priorities for Action and 3 Conditions for Success. Here are the four priorities related to sustainable economic development.

2.1 Balance multiple uses through Integrated Water Resource Management

2.2 Contribute to food security by optimal use of water

2.3 Harmonise water and energy

2.4 Promote green growth and value ecosystem services

> Read more

Time for Solutions

The Hai river pilot project Franco-Chinese bilateral cooperation > Log in and read more

		Water for Work Coupling Irrigation with Rural Water Improvements > Log in and read more
		Resilience work Increasing the resilience of communities to climate change impacts > Log in and read more
		Platform Rhine-West Case study on the Dutch project of the River Basin Management > Log in and read more

Discover water solutions and share your contributions on solutionsforwater.org

An eye on the blue planet

The Mediterranean Cross-Continental Process
Water demand management, non-conventional water use, depollution of a shared ecosystem, and governance: these are the main issues the Mediterranean water community is focusing on for solutions and commitments.
Read more about the 8 Mediterranean water priorities and targets.
Coordinator:
Hachmi Kennou
Executive Director of the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME)

The Arab Cross-Continental Process
The Arab Coordination Committee has identified an Arab cross-continental process which is essentially oriented on desalination, trans-boundary water management and governance.
Read more
Coordinator:
Djamel Eddine Djaballah
President of the Arab Coordination Committee