Paris, UNESCO Headquarters, 17 December 2014 – Around 100 representatives from more than 50 country delegations are meeting with international organizations and civil society representatives, for the First Ministerial Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom I). In preparation for the 7th World Water Forum, PrepCom I will serve to define together the political priorities and progress towards “Water for our Future” and to set the foundations for the 7th World Water Forum’s Ministerial Statement. 

 

This inter-governmental process led by the host country of the World Water Forum and the World Water Council is considered to be one of the most important political efforts dedicated to water. Based on contributions received from each of the Forum’s 16 themes, a draft discussion paper was compiled and circulated to participants, serving as the basis for discussion which will last two days. Discussions will continue at the second PrepCom meeting, planned on 24-25 February 2015, also at UNESCO Headquarters.

 

The final outcome of this common work will take the shape of a Ministerial Declaration which will be presented during the Ministerial Conference of the 7th World Water Forum on 13 April 2015 in the city of Gyeongju, Republic of Korea. This statement will provide insight on water issues, also as they relate to other major forthcoming global events on development, such as the UN General Assembly’s anticipated confirmation of the Sustainable Development Goals for the post-2015 Development Agenda and the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) on Climate Change, amongst others. In addition, the Ministerial Conference will include a series of high-level roundtable sessions on a number of important issues.

 

The PrepComs is co-chaired by Seong-ho Lee, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea , and by Andras Szöllösi-Nagy, World Water Council. 

 

“For us to connect to high-level decision-makers throughout the world and influence the global agenda, we must keep track of regional realities and keep promoting innovative solutions,” World Water Council President Benedito Braga said at the 3rd Arab Water Forum that opened Tuesday in Cairo, Egypt. After thanking the Arab Water Council for organizing the event, which gathered 600 representatives from all countries of the Arab region, President Braga added that “the Arab regional process will have an important role in proposing solutions to important water challenges.”

The event represents a milestone in the run up to the 7th World Water Forum, and a meeting point for stakeholders who wish to be involved in the Arab regional process. The regional processes are the voice of the Forum between processes. They promote the specificities of every region of the world and mobilize key actors within their scope of activity.  

Under the main theme ‘Together Towards A Secure Arab Water Future’, the Arab Water Forum aims at providing policy recommendations to further promote cooperation between the Arab countries in the water sector, with a special focus on Water for food, Water for cities and water for energy, Smart IWRM and Transboundary water.