7th WWF day 1

7th World Water Forum in Daegu and Gyeongju, Korea - day 1

Today was the first day of the world water forum. We joined the opening ceremony on Daegu, at the exhibition center called EXCO. As it was quite crowded, there was a special room for VIP members to view the ceremony live, and another room for additional visitors to watch it on screens. In total, the secretariat reports there were over 3,000 people attending the opening ceremony. Security was heavy as President Park of Korea and many other heads of state were present in the building. As in Japan, Korea likes the use of mascots and we were treated abundantly with examples of traditional clothing, dances, sports, and many other cultural aspects.

EXCO venue

Opening ceremony

Starting the ceremony, Lee Jung-moo, chief of the World Water Forum, emphasized how we can make a common goal despite our different individual goals. "Our actions will help establish law and realistic implementation tools". The chairman of the WWF Council, Benedito Brada, said this forum will be a landmark for the discussion of the Post 2015 development goals, and stressed the successes we have made since the start of the millennium development goals. "The world is getting better, life expectancy has nearly doubled, 2 billion people have gained access to safe drinking water, and 1.7 billion gained access to sanitation. Water now is the number one risk in the world. The value of the forum comes from the multiplicity of voices from all over the world. Water deserves new thinking and concrete action, clear and transparent debates. This forum prioritizes participation. Water is what unites all humans". The President of Korea, Park Geun-hye, explained how this forum debates the future of mankind. International conflicts about water will increase. "Water is not a national issue, but must be addressed collectively by the international community. This forum aims to go beyond identifying solutions but focusing on the value of implementation. Through the sessions we will build roadmaps to monitor implementation, which will serve as a bridge to the next world forum. We need to put an end to international conflicts over water. We have 216 rivers transverse 145 countries. This should become an era of peace. This year marks 70 years of national division in Korea, the water way that connects the 2 Koreas may ease this division. Jointly managing the waterway may open a channel to communications. Let’s realize a peaceful world for everyone". The president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, focused on international cooperation and human rights. He stressed that access to water should be guaranteed by all governments. "Water is being discussed in Asia as one of the most critical issues in economic development and environmental issues, and consensus is the only platform on which such progress can be made. In observing considering and resolving these issues we are bound by international law as well as the principal of human respect". The President of Hungary, János Áder, commented that without water there is no life, no human civilization, no sustainable development, and no sustainable peace. "We have tipped the balance of planet Earth. We should adapt to this new situation, and for this we need global/regional solutions. Hungary is small country, but climate change can be felt. From now on humanity will have to struggle with its own nature that is destructing mother nature". The Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane would like to share what worked and what did not work, and said that we are learning greatly from allies’ experiences. Secretary General Angel Gurría from the OECD said that 10 years ago the OECD members did not understand why water would be a priority. "Now 500 billion dollars are lost every year to water issues, which is far less than it would cost to solve the issues. Water is a very local issue, and while dealing with the issue the question of governance scale becomes critical. We can deliver better water policies for better lives". Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Jan Eliasson, said that water is precious but also finite and growing scarcer. "Historically water has been the cause for cooperation, but water is distributed and allocated unequally. We need to work harder. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Water is a universal human right. Let us make peace with nature". Chairman of the Crown Prince’s Court of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan stressed that we cannot underestimate the challenge that lies ahead of us. "Unless we act now and together, two thirds of the world will face water shortage in the coming decade". Abdou Maman, a Nigerien social entrepreneur, received the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize for his technological contribution to developing remote-controllable irrigation systems. The prize grant is $100,000. The grantors, the Kingdom of Morocco and the World Water Council, believe that scientific innovation and research should be encouraged as they increase the quality of life.   ICHARM Booth