WWC and WEC team up to highlight the water-energy nexus

24 March 2014, London & Marseille – The World Energy Council (WEC) and World Water Council (WWC) announce that they have joined forces to bring the issue of the water-energy nexus to the fore in the run up to the 7th World Water Forum, to be staged in Daegu, Korea from 12 to 17 April 2015. 

In the agreement, the two organisations commit to work together to build an integrated programme at the Forum, and to ensure that the water-energy nexus will be highlighted at the next World Energy Congress, to be held in Istanbul in 2016. Both events will serve to build on the expertise and content provided by the members of both organisations, many of which are already working on solutions to the water-energy nexus issue.

Professor Karl Rose, Senior Director of the WEC’s World Energy Scenarios study and who is overseeing the WEC’s collaboration with the WWC, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to bring our two organisations together to address the growing issue of the energy-water nexus. The World Energy Council highlighted this issue in 2010 with our ground-breaking report, Water for Energy, and we are now looking to address the issue in further depth as we begin work on our next World Energy Scenarios study looking to 2060.”

The WEC and WWC announce their partnership in celebration of the annual World Water Day, which this year has “water and energy” as its theme. 

“The World Water Council has been working on the water and energy issue since the 6th World Water Forum, and this new collaboration will give us the means to push forward and encourage harmonized policies,” said Benedito Braga, President of the World Water Council. “Water needs energy and energy needs water,” he summarised. “Understanding the interaction between these two vital elements is paramount to developing a water secure future.”

Mrs Marie-José Nadeau, Chair of the World Energy Council, commented: “The energy-water nexus is a real issue for business and governments alike. We need to mobilise the public and private sectors to provide solutions to this growing problem and events such as the World Water Day are useful milestones in this process.”

Today’s announcement takes the two organisations’ existing collaboration to the next level. By using the expertise of both organizations, this cooperation effort will serve to further analyse and comprehend water and energy interactions. 

The World Water Forum is the largest water-related event in the world, aimed at putting water firmly on the international agenda. It is organised every three years by the World Water Council in collaboration with the authorities of the host country. 

The World Energy Congress is the World Energy Council’s triennial flagship event. The event is the premier global forum for leaders and thinkers to debate solutions to energy issues. 

The World Energy Council (WEC) is the principal impartial network of leaders and practitioners promoting an affordable, stable and environmentally sensitive energy system for the greatest benefit of all.

Formed in 1923, WEC is the UN-accredited global energy body, representing the entire energy spectrum, with more than 3000 member organisations located in over 90 countries and drawn from governments, private and state corporations, academia, NGOs and energy-related stakeholders.

WEC informs global, regional and national energy strategies by hosting high-level events, publishing authoritative studies, and working through its extensive member network to facilitate the world’s energy policy dialogue.

The WEC’s triennial World Energy Congress has gained recognition since the first event in 1924 as the premier global forum for leaders and thinkers to debate solutions to energy issues.  The last Congress in Daegu, Korea, gathered more than 7500 participants from 123 countries including 52 ministers and 270 speakers.

Further details at www.worldenergy.org and @WECouncil