Status: June 2004

3rd World Water Forum from 16 - 23 March 2003 in Japan

- One step closer to achieving the objectives of Johannesburg -

The Third World Water Forum (3rd WWF), hosted by the World Water Council from 16 to 23 March 2003 at three venues in Japan - Kyoto, Osaka and Shiga - was the principal water-themed international event in the International Year of Freshwater 2003. In continuation of the previous World Water Forums, the conference was opened by the host organisation together with representatives of the First World Water Forum in Marrakech (1997) and the Second World Water Forum in The Hague (2000). The 3rd WWF was attended by some 23,000 delegates from academia, non-governmental organisations, private industry and governments, including some 8,000 delegates from abroad. The forum was linked to a ministerial conference (22/23 March 2003) hosted by the Japanese government, which was attended by some 180 delegates.

Results

• Report from the forum
  With a total of 351 separate events on 38 topic areas, the dialogue between delegates was certainly animated. The issues under debate included drinking water supply, basic sanitation and hygiene, water pollution, water and ecosystems, integrated water resource management, river basin management, good government conduct, funding mechanisms, education, training, research, water and peace, water and climate, water and cultural diversity, water and agriculture, and much more besides. The events on good government conduct, water and ecosystems, transboundary watercourse management, and funding mechanisms attracted particular interest. One particular highlight was the "Panel on Financing Global Infrastructure", led by Michel Camdessus, which presented a total of 80 recommendations, focussing on strengthening the institutional framework conditions and good government conduct, as well as new financing models for private sector participation. The expectations of developing countries, particularly those in Africa, vis-à-vis increased development aid (ODA) in the water segment and the creation of reservoir capacities, were stressed by a number of speakers.
  The forum participants’ recommendations were later presented to the Ministers. The numerous forum events are currently being summarised in a report outlining the key issues and recommendations.
  
  
• Ministerial declaration
  Because the Japanese hosts devoted considerable effort to obtaining a broad political consensus, the ministerial declaration eventually drafted essentially confirms the political objectives adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, but fails to add any implementation-oriented political focus. The European Union was also particularly critical of the absence of key forward-thinking statements on the implementation of international development targets in the water sector, binding objectives in the field of water conservation, the impacts of climate change, the role of women, and recommendations by the World Commission on Dams. One positive aspect is the fact that, unlike Johannesburg, this Conference did manage to adopt a statement - albeit an unsatisfactory one - on cooperation in the field of transboundary watercourses.
  
  
• Portfolio of Water Actions
  This refers to a compendium of voluntary obligations undertaken by the participating governments and international organisations at the 3rd WWF, designed to help ensure that the international development targets in the water sector are implemented. The commitments will be published in a network of websites following the 3rd World Water Forum, so as to document the progress achieved and encourage an exchange of information. (For the current status of commitments to date, please refer to www.pwa-web.org).

German participation

The German Federal Government attended the 3rd WWF under the leadership of the Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Uschi Eid of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, together with representatives of various Federal ministries (the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), the Federal Foreign Office (AA)), Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), the Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW), Capacity Building International, Germany (InWEnt), the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BR), the Federal Institute for Hydrology (BFG) and the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA).

In the exhibition centre, GTZ showcased the Federal Republic of Germany's current position on international water conservation policy, with a key focus on transboundary cooperation. Regrettably, there were no representatives of the German water industry in attendance, either at the forum, or at the subsequent industry trade fair in Osaka. On 20 March 2003, GTZ, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the Federal Environment Ministry (BMU), held a seminar on transboundary watercourses, which was attended by many high-ranking individuals. Representatives of river commissions from South African Development Community (SADC) countries and the Nile (where the development of intergovernmental commissions on three transboundary rivers is supported by GTZ) presented their respective approaches to regional cooperation and identified suitable instruments for improved cooperation.

Outlook

Although the ministerial declaration of the 3rd WWF failed to progress beyond the results already achieved at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development and as such, little political significance is ascribed to the Forum, nevertheless, the intensive exchange between participants during the course of the forum can be considered very encouraging. The forum emerged as a key instrument for strengthening initiative and international cooperation between interested parties for implementing the political objectives of Johannesburg by means of broad-based dialogue.

However, it remains unclear whether there is still a future for such large-scale events, which require considerable financial and staff input, either from a political viewpoint or with regard to the realisation of concrete implementation measures in the water sector.

Against this background, it will be interesting to see the extent to which the World Water Forum 2006 manages to bring about a concentrated debate. From 16 to 22 March 2006, the 4th World Water Forum is being staged in Mexico City, under the title, "Local Actions for a Global Change". Key themes include linking water management to other policy areas on sustainable development, groundwater protection, risk management, rural development, integral water resource management, and the role of water supply in economic and social development.