The 8th World Water Forum is currently under way in Brasilia, from 18 through 23 March, and coinciding with World Water Day, it brings together world leaders and thousands of experts to mark World Water Day, March 22 of every year.Co-organized by the World Water Council and the Government of Brazil, the 8th World Water Forum gathers over 12 heads of state, upwards of 100 ministers, parliamentarians and mayors, as well as thousands of water and sustainable development experts and global citizens in Brazil to commemorate World Water Day on 22 March. To mark the event, the World Water Council in a press release stated as follows:
By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water-stressed areas. 80% of countries report insufficient funding to meet national drinking water targets. More than 840 million people worldwide, or 1 in 9, do not have access to basic drinking water services, and 2.3 billion, or 1 in 3, lack access to a toilet.
“Around the world, more people have mobiles phone than toilets,” explains Matt Damon, water activist and actor.
In a global effort to avoid widespread water crises and to improve access to safe drinking water and sanitation globally, the World Water Council organized the 8th edition of its World Water Forum.
Attending are more than 12 heads of state, including the President of Brazil, Michel Temer, President of Hungary, János Áder, President of São Tomé and Príncipe (Evaristo Carvalho); President of Guyana (David Granger); President of Cape Verde (Jorge Carlos Fonseca); Vice-President of Equatorial Guinea (Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue); Prime Minister of Morocco (Saadeddine Othmani), Prime Minister of Senegal (Mahammed Dionne); South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon, and the Prime Minister of São Tomé and Príncipe (Maria do Carmo Silveira).
Also the CEOs of fortune 500 companies, among many others, travelled to the Brazilian capital to participate in 17 high-level panels and over 300 sessions, where the future of water security will be mapped out for the next three years.
Throughout more than 300 sessions, ranging in specializations, including political, citizens, regional, sustainability, thematic, and special sessions, more than 20,000 attendees from 170 countries have come together to find solutions for our world’s water security challenges. Also accredited were some 1,500 journalists to cover the event.
The first World Water Forum was hosted by Morocco in 1997. Among its triumphs, the triennial World Water Forum has been instrumental in promoting the acknowledgment of Access to Water as a Human Right, which was finally recognized in 2010 by the UN.
This came on the heels of the 6th World Water Forum (Istanbul, Turkey) where the fundamental nature of this right was defended at every turn.
Furthermore, the World Water Forum and its creator, the World Water Council, have played key roles in ensuring recognition for Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG), ensuring safe access to water and sanitation for all. This goal, set by the United Nations in 2015, is to be achieved by 2030.
“Achieving water security demands pushing the boundaries impeded by competing uses for water exacerbated in a context of global changes. This World Water Forum is here to advance the paramount role of water and enable global change-sensitive decision-making,” declared World Water Council President Benedito Braga.
The Southern Hemisphere hosts the World Water Forum for the first time, opening South America’s doors to dialogue and an exchange of experiences and best practices related to the use of water. This Brazilian edition will offer a Citizens Village, which welcomes all global citizens free of charge to participate in the debate through exhibitions, lectures, movies, arts and crafts workshops, entertainment, talk shows and gourmet food courts.
The World Water Forum, attended by 300 local and regional authorities, 200 parliamentarians, and 100 official delegations, is also a crucial opportunity for global authorities to share knowledge and develop strategies forvarious issues, such as combating climate variability and water scarcity.
