Experiences at the IV World Water Forum: Local actions for a global challenge
23 julio 2007Report by Norma Ferriz. Executive Director Pronatura Veracruz to Harmony Foundation
documento 4 de 10
From March16th to the 22nd 2006 an estimated 20,000 people gathered to celebrate the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City. Like previous fora, Marrakech (1997), The Hague (2000) and Kyoto (2003), the Mexico City gathering provided a space for interaction and dialogue around water issues for people from all walks of life. Participants included government officials (country, state and local) as well as representatives from multilateral agencies, private corporations and foundations, research and educational institutions, civil society organizations (international, national, regional and local) representatives from indigenous communities, children, youth and concerned citizens. Everyone engaged in an animated exchange of ideas and perspectives about policies and alternatives to achieve more sustainable and equitable water use.
The forum occurred within a friendly environment and everyone had opportunities to make their own statements and engage openly in discussions
The format facilitated both individual and group exchanges of ideas. There were 12 plenary sessions with key note speakers including Crown Prince Naruhito of Japan on water transport; Luis Alberto Moreno, IDB President, on water growth for development; Prince of Orange William-Alexander of the Netherlands, Katherine Sierra of the World Bank, businessman Carlos Slim from Mexico and others who helped provide overall perspectives on water issues. Four other plenary sessions offered presentations from regions of the world about their issues and recommendations on water management. Over ten Mexican state governors took part in a one day session in which each shared their experiences in water management. They offered their perspective on how state policies and funds are being used to address water supply and management and to develop a culture more sensitive to water savings. They also shared their views on sanitation and management of trans-boundary watersheds.
There were also a total of 206 simultaneous thematic sessions in which 548 local cases were presented followed by an expert panel that commented on the local experiences and added points of view from their own experiences. The sessions were divided into five themes: Water for Growth and Development, Instrumentation of Integrated Water Resources Management, Water Sanitation, Water for Food and the Environment, and Risk Management. It was difficult to decide which of these interesting sessions to attend.
The second day I particularly enjoyed a session entitled Successful Indigenous Approaches to Integrated Water Resource Management and Achieving the Millennium Development Goals, convened by EcoLogic Development Fund. It included the perspective of indigenous communities on the management of water sources and the spiritual value of water. The session included examples such as the “Juntas de Agua” in Honduras and community forest management in Totonicapán, Guatemala. It also included a heart warming intervention of Sharon Day, from the Indigenous Peoples’ Task Force, comprised of Native American women around the Great Lakes region working to increase awareness about the importance of clean water and the association of it with ancestry beliefs. The panelists on that session included: Rigoberta Menchú, Nobel Peace Prize (1992); Dan Evans, Director of the Environmental Program of USAID in Mexico; Cecilia Martinez, Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research of the University of Delaware, Raul Hernandez Garciadiego, Executive Director of Alternativas de Mexico, A.C., a civil society organization that works promoting water saving and recovery in the deserts of Oaxaca in Mexico, and Herman Rosa, Executive Director of the Fundación Programa Salvadoreño de Investigación sobre Desarrollo y Medio Ambiente (PRISMA). The participation of people from all walks of life made this session especially fascinating for me. The session provided insights about successful experiences with Integrated Water Resource Management at the community level and how integrated approaches to water management present opportunities for improved sustainable livelihoods and economic growth.
The third day I participated as a panelist in a session on Decentralization: the role of communities in water management, whose objectives included: 1. to promote that community management is included in national investment plans and policies regarding water issues. 2. to promote recognition of local leadership in water management. 3. to support water legislation recognition of the community rights to clean water and 4. to encourage local authorities to give priority to supplying water to communities over other uses.
The fourth day, under the general theme of the day focused on water for food and the environment, I attended several sessions relating to the importance of forest and wetland conservation. This will help ensure a sustained source of clean water for human use as well as providing natural flows of clean water to cover the needs of local ecosystems. All of this will help maintain the Earth’s balance.
There were also workshops at a learning center, named “TheInstitute@WWF4” to aid participants gain new skills, such as building partnerships, negotiation, computer modeling, environmental legislation, developing efficiency indicators, how to assess environmental flows for rivers, etc.
Three rooms were dedicated to an exposition with more than 250 displays. Private companies and research institutions had an opportunity to exhibit some of their newest developments on water sanitation and ground water utilization. Civil society organizations displayed their projects. Donor organizations shared their priorities and projects they are funding. Mexico’s state representatives shared some of the beauty of their regions with stunning pictures and arts and crafts. There was also a poster session, where 43 organizations and agencies visually presented some of their achievements related to water issues.
There was a youth and a children’s forum providing space for these two sectors to discuss water issues from their perspectives. I attended a very interesting presentation of the best local cases led by children. It included an emotive exchange of children’s ideas among themselves and between them and government officials at the UN and country levels.
Artistic expressions also were present. Concerts of recognized singers, the Xalapa Philarmonic orchestra, folk dances and a presentation of books all fed our spiritual needs after a busy day of intellectual stimulation. There was a film festival that combined spiritual perspectives with challenge to conventional thinking on different water issues.
There were some civil society organizations and individuals that chose not to participate in the forum, although I cannot speak for them I think some could not attend due to economic constraints presented by entrance fees required for the forum, others had ideological and methodological differences with how the forum was conducted. The Coalition of Mexican Organizations for the Right of Water (COMDA) organized an alternative event in parallel to the Forum, the “International Forum in Defense of Water”. At that forum there were also presentations of local cases, strategy sessions, cultural events and discussions of water issues that were also touched upon within the forum, such as recognizing water as a universal right. Three-hundred water activist organizations signed a Declaration in support of recognition and enforcement of the human right to water and urged governmental support for the development of public-public partnerships.
Another parallel event included a meeting of congressmen from 28 countries from 5 continents, where they committed to motivate a legal framework that recognizes citizen participation and facilitates a more participatory approach to water management. They presented a declaration that included the recognition of water as an essential resource of public domain with a social, environmental and economic value and their commitment to act locally to reinforce world wide recognition of the right to access to water for all.
The last two days, 78 ministers and other government officials from different countries discussed water policy issues. There also were representatives of private companies and civil society organizations. Together they discussed issues including financing local initiatives on water access and sanitation; increasing authorities and local capacities on these themes, decentralization processes and how to strengthen different actors related to water management, water use efficiency and technology transfer, monitoring schemes of quantity and quality of water, and water and the environment.
They developed a ministerial declaration that states the need to include water and sanitation as priorities in national processes. They reaffirmed their commitment to access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation for everyone. They noted the importance of enhancing the sustainability of ecosystems and reaffirmed the importance of the involvement and development of different stakeholders in the planning and management of water services, recognizing the importance of a participatory approach.
Five initiatives were announced at the Forum: (1) 2008 International Year of Sanitation, UN Sanitation Prize, and 2015 global sanitation conference (recommendations of the UN Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation), (2) France’s commitment to doubling its efforts in water and sanitation, (3) Asia-Pacific Water Forum, established by ministers from the Asia-Pacific region, (4) World Water Council “Water for Schools” initiative providing water to 1,000 schools in ten countries, and the creation of schools for training higher-level technicians, (5) Memorandum of Understanding between UN-HABITAT and the African Development Bank to release US$ 550 million for meeting the Millennium Development Goals water target in Africa.
While the Forum did not meet every demand or challenge related with water issues and policies and actions that allow for a more sustainable use of the natural resources, it was a step forward.
At the same time we must not overlook the Forum’s deficiencies. Some contentious issues were not included in the Ministers declaration. For example, Bolivia´s Minister of Water Abel Mamani, and many civil society organizations, argued that access to sufficient clean water must be recognized as a human right at each country’s constitutional level and as a global commitment.
Clearly many groups and individuals will continue to work as advocates and activists to address this challenge and the many other water issues facing humanity. The challenge of ensuring safe water needs to be continuously addressed if we want a better world for ourselves and our children.
The forum was well organized thanks to more than 2,000 young volunteers who organized and facilitated its many aspects. Nevertheless, there were some moments of tension. For example, one group of individuals that were outside protesting against the forum and some decisions they thought were being made within the forum, such as water privatization, entered the venue in protest. Without many of us being aware of what was happening, the exposition and conference rooms were locked to reduce the possibility of confrontation. This unfortunately also restricted the possibility of dialogue and reinforced the impression of separateness.
It was uncomfortable, especially for those committed to open-dialogue to have our bags searched to avoid the use of banners to oppose any participating speaker or organization. I wondered if constraining other perspectives gets us closer to understanding each other and making progress on water or other issues important to the world.
A program such as World Water Forum IV does not often lead to easy conclusions or answers but it does raise recurrent themes which need to be addressed such as (1) improved coordination among different sectors; (2) systematic and continuous approach to tackle water issues; (3) the importance of a holistic view in the conservation and use of natural resources that looks beyond the needs of one nation or generation;(4) the recognition of water as a human right; (5) the perspectives, ideas, work and potential of local inhabitants in dealing with sanitation and water management services; (6) the balancing of water requirements among agriculture, industry, individual use and natural ecosystems; (7) capacity building on water and risk management.
While many good local initiatives were presented, they amplify the huge challenge of replicating and expanding these initiatives and to turn words into action. Every person, every organization and every country must take responsibility to help find the goodwill and new practices that will increase our chances of achieving a more sustainable way of living.
There are many challenges related with governance, institutional frameworks, public and private investments and ownership, public participation, and water infrastructure, among others. Clean water access for all people will continue to be one of our greatest challenges.
Fora such as this one will not resolve issues such as water scarcity, unequal distribution and access, and pollution but they do give focus to these issues and create opportunities to learn from one another, to open dialogue, reduce stereotypes and create opportunities for collaboration. Hopefully such encounters lead to increased cooperation locally, nationally and internationally, meaningful cooperation which produces practical results. One of the main lessons that I got from this experience, and that I hope others gained as well, is that water issues cannot be approached in a fragmented way (socially/demographically, economically, culturally, environmentally), we need to implement an integrated approach that honestly considers all points of view.
During 2005 the UN established the decade of education for sustainable development and the decade of water, the source of life. Within the framework of those initiatives governments as well as private sector, civil society and research institutions must reinforce our commitment to establish water as a priority in policy and actions so as to achieve some of the Millennium Development Goals. These goals should not be dreams but realities in order to have a better and more equitable life for all.
Electronic resources where you can find more details about the forum
Web page of the World Water Council that includes information about all 4 of the World Water Fora. It includes a section on declarations available in English, French and Spanish. The voices of the Forum section reflects participant’s views and conclusions as well as lessons learned and recommendations for action, daily coverage summaries provided by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), and a section that includes each of the regional documents
http://www.comda.org.mx/fida/declaration.htm Web page of the Forum that includes declarations, key note speeches, thematic documents, regional documents, local actions, and descriptions and conclusions of each of the sessions. Most of the documents are available in English and Spanish.
http://www.comda.org.mx/fida/declaration.htm Web page in Spanish hosted by The Coalition of Mexican Organizations for the Right of Water (COMDA) with the declaration signed by 300 water activists during the alternative “International Forum in Defense of Water”.
Norma Ferriz, Executive Director Pronatura Veracruz reporting for Harmony Foundation from 4th World Water Forum, Mexico City. March16-22, 2006
Autor(es): Norma Ferriz
