2ND STAKEHOLDERS CONSULTATION MEETING TOWARDS THE 7TH WORLD WATER FORUM
Gyeongbuk, Republic of Korea, February 27-28, 2014
The 2nd Stakeholders Consultation Meeting will serve to create the Forum’s Working Groups, which will jointly develop the content of the Forum throughout its preparatory process. During the two-day meeting, the key concepts of the Thematic, Regional, Political and Science and Technology Processes was presented to members of the Coordination Committees for appropriate processes and discussed by the Consultation Meeting participants, as well as other components such as the Citizens’ Forum, exhibition, etc. discussed.
The meeting was preceded by the Meeting of the World Water Council Board – the main Forum organizer. Several key decisions were made at the meeting.
First – in conformity with the decision of the Korean Government, Forum events in April 2015 will be divided in two parts – the Political and Regional Processes with the Ministry Conference and exhibition will be held in Gyeongbuk, and the Thematic and Science Processes along the Citizens’ Forum in Deagu. It takes two hours between the two cities by car. Therefore, all stakeholders need to consider this factor when planning their events and logistics.
Second - in conformity with the decision of the WWC Board members, the next 8th World Water Forum will be hold in Brazil in 2018.
Government officials, representatives of interstate organizations, non-government organizations, public and private enterprises, networks and scientists (general number of participants about 700 individuals – 300 foreign from 64 countries and 400 Koreans) active in water sector participated in the Consultation Meeting.
Four participants from Central Asia took participation in the Consultation Meeting work: Shukhrat Talipov – EC IFAS, Berador Burkhanzhonov – MAWR of Uzbekistan, Sulton Rakhimov – First Minister Deputy of Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, and Vadim Sokolov – Global Water Partnership Central Asia and Caucasus (GWP CACENA).
REGIONAL PROCESS
On the eve of the Consultation Meeting – February 26, 2014, the open meeting of the Regional Process Coordinators was held. The Regional Process Coordination Committee includes eight persons – four members of the WWC Board and four representatives from Korea. The Regional Process Co-chairs are Dr. Torkil JØnch Clausen (Denmark) from the World Water Council and Dr. TaeHun Kim (Korea).
Vadim Sokolov (GWP CACENA) participated in the Regional Process Coordinators Meeting. By the results of the Coordination Committee Meeting, it was agreed that the Regional Process will be organized based on the Road Map proposed by the Coordination Committee.
The Regional Process will be organized for seven world regions approved:
- Asia
- America
- Africa
- Europe
Special regions (three) – the Arab League, the Mediterranean, economic water stressed countries.
Regional Process Coordinator per region was named.
The Coordinator of Asia Regional Process, which includes Central Asia sub-region, is Mr. Ravi Narayanan (India), the Asia-Pacific Water Forum Governing Council, functions of the Asia Process Secretariat will be fulfilled by the Japanese Water Forum with support of the Korean Water Forum.
It is agreed that Central Asia will create its Sub-regional Working Group for the Sub-Regional Process (applications for participation in the group were submitted to the Coordination Committee from three representatives of Central Asia – Sh. Talipov from the EC IFAS, S. Rakhimov – MEWR of Tajikistan, and V. Sokolov – GWP CACENA). The Executive Committee of IFAS and GWP CACENA were recognized as co-coordinators of the Central Asia Sub-regional Process by the Regional Committee.
The Central Asia Sub-regional Process will be open for participation in it, except for organizations from the five Central Asia countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) and organizations-stakeholders from the Caucasus countries (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) and Mongolia.
It was also recommended during the preparatory process for each region to lean on those priority topics, which proceed from the decisions of the 6th World Water Forum.
It should be noted that in March 2012, in Marseilles during the 6th World Water Forum, at the Central Asia Special Session, the following seven priorities for our sub-region were presented:
- Guaranteeing water for future generations
- Risk management and water security
- International cooperation on transboundary watercourses management to the benefit of all countries in the region
- Adoption of innovations in agriculture through agrarian reforms in order to achieve food security
- Integrated water resources management – a tool for balancing multiple uses of water
- Climate change and conserving environmental capacity
- Sustainable water supply and sanitation
On February 27, 2014, open group consultations of the sub-regions of the Asia Regional Process were held. Three groups – North-Eastern Asia, China and Central Asia in consultations took participation.
According to the results of consultations, at the plenary session, before closing the meeting, the Chair of the Asia Process Mr. Ravi Narayanan announceâ that in general 11 priority themes were stated for Asia region:
- THEME 1.1: Enough Safe Water for All
- THEME 1.2: Integrated sanitation for all
- THEME 1.3: Adapting to Change: Managing Risk and Uncertainty for Resilience and Disaster Preparedness
- THEME 1.4: Infrastructure for sustainable water resources management and services
- THEME 2.1: Water for Food
- THEME 2.3: Water and Cities
- THEME 3.1: Green Growth, Water Stewardship and Industry
- THEME 4.1: Economics and Financing for innovative investments
- THEME 4.2: Effective Governance: Enhanced political decisions, stakeholder participation and technical information
- THEME 4.4: Water cultures, justice and equity
- THEME 4.5: Enhancing Education and Capacity Building
During their sub-regional sessions, the sub-regions of the Asia Process (six only) – North-Eastern Asia, South-Eastern Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, Pacific region, China – can raise discussions on their specific priorities agreed within the framework of future (during 2014) sub-regional consultations with their stakeholders.
During the consultations of the Central Asia sub-region, except for four representatives from the region, Mr. Soo-yang Kim, the Facilitator from the Regional Committee, and Asai Shigenori, the Representative of the Japanese Water Forum participated. On the results of the round table consultations, the following preliminary priorities for Central Asia grounded on the above mentioned seven priorities by the results of the 6th WWF were submitted to Mr. Ravi Narayanan, the Chair of the Asia Process:
- THEME 1.3: Adapting to Change: Managing Risk and Uncertainty for Resilience and Disaster Preparedness
- THEME 2.1: Water for Food
- THEME 3.2: Managing and Restoring Ecosystems for Water Services and Biodiversity
- THEME 3.4: SMART implementation of IWRM
- THEME 4.2: Effective Governance: Enhanced political decisions, stakeholder participation and technical information
- THEME 4.3: Cooperation for reducing conflict and improving transboundary water management
- THEME 4.5: Enhancing Education and Capacity Building.
Meanwhile, in the form of the preliminary application given to the Asia Pacific Water Forum Secretariat, it was highlighted that the final list of the priorities for Central Asia will be officially presented in April 2014 after the ICWC meeting and agreeing with key stakeholders.
THEMATIC PROCESS
The Coordination Committee of the Thematic Process includes eight persons – four members of the WWC Board and four representatives from Korea. The Thematic Process Co-chairmen are Mark Smith from the World Water Council (IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature) and Dr. Hyoseop Woo, the President of the Korean Institute of Construction Technologies.
The International Governing Committee of the 7th World Water Forum approved 16 key themes, which will be presented for the dialogue during all Forum events and after it – in a form of further actions.
Thematic Structure of the 7th World Water Forum
During the consultations on February 27-28, 2014, the International Forum Committee agreed on the preparatory process coordinators for Thematic Sessions by working groups.
Within the framework of the Thematic Process, a new special program – Creation of Action Monitoring System was also initiated. It should be established under coordination of the Thematic Process and applied after the 7th Forum to assess all follow-up actions and projects – in order to more impartially form programs of further World Water Fora.
Unfortunately, since all the consultations were held concurrently, representatives from Central Asia did not manage to monitor the results of the consultations on two other processes, namely – Political and Science. However, in the near future, the Forum Organizational Committee promised to post all materials on the Forum website: www.worldwaterforum7.org.
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