Coordinators from Asia-Pacific, Mediterranean, America, and Africa met to identify and prioritize steps to address the water crisis at local and regional levels during the 10th World Water Forum’s Regional Process session held at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC) in Bali on Thursday, May 23, 2024.
During the session, coordinators from the four regions shared the results of a year’s discussions and disseminated practical ideas to tackle regional water challenges. The forum provided insights into common water priorities, which often vary from one region to another.
The importance of the regional process was highlighted by Loic Fauchon, President of the World Water Council (WWC), during the opening session on Tuesday.
He emphasized that the regional process sessions are crucial and would be a significant milestone in the week’s water discussions.
Speakers at the session included Alain Meyssonnier, President of the Mediterranean Water Institute (IME); Benedito Braga, CEO of Sabesp; Rashid Mbaziira, Executive Secretary of the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW); Changhua Wu, Chair of the Governing Council of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF); and Eelco Van Beek from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Loic stressed that the regional process sessions should be fully utilized for collaboration and finding the best solutions to water issues. Efforts to address water problems in each region and between regions are interconnected.
The 10th World Water Forum culminated in the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration at the Ministerial Meeting on Tuesday, attended by representatives from 106 countries and 27 international organizations.
Key Points of the Ministerial Declaration:
- Sustainable use and management of water resources with integrated and efficient strategies;
- Development of action plans, particularly for increasing funding to address climate change
- Strengthening access to clean water and sanitation for all;
- Proposing World Lake Day to the United Nations;
- Enhancing the capabilities of stakeholders in accessing clean water and sanitation;
- Addressing challenges in energy, food security, poverty, and migration;
- Establishing a center of excellence for water in the Asia-Pacific region;
- Enhancing disaster risk reduction, including increased investment in early warning systems;
- Empowering women, children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and local communities to tackle water issues;
- Promoting education, innovation, research, and technology transfer in the water sector.
Indonesia’s initiatives at the 10th World Water Forum:
- Establishing a center of excellence for water and climate resilience to develop capacity, share knowledge, and utilize superior facilities;
- Highlighting and promoting integrated water resource management on small islands, addressing the challenges of water quality and availability despite being surrounded by vast water bodies.
- Raising funds for water projects;
- Proposing World Lake Day. Lakes are crucial sources of water with significant social and economic functions. Celebrating World Lake Day aims to ensure the preservation of lakes worldwide.
