7th World Water Forum

In 2015 the World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world, will take place in Daegu & Gyeongbuk of Korea, under the theme of ‘Water for Our Future’. The World Water Forum is a large-scale international conference that is held every three years since 1997 in cooperation with the public and private sectors, academia, and industry. It was first launched in an effort to facilitate international discussions on global water challenges.

China Water Risk will be co-convening a session at the World Water Forum.

“Tackling Asia’s Transboundary Water-Energy-Climate Challenge – What’s law got to do with it?”Session overview: The session, convened by China Water Risk, Xiamen University Law School and China International Water Law, will frame the water-energy-climate nexus on Asia’s key transboundary waters and explore how international law might contribute to the peaceful management of Asia’s shared freshwater resources. This will include: An overview of the key issues in Asia’s transboundary water-energy-climate nexus; The role of international law in managing Asia’s transboundary waters, with a focus on the UN Watercourses Convention (UNWC) and its relevance for sustainable development, conservation and conflict management; Case studies to demonstrate how international law can promote transboundary water cooperation across Asia; and Q&A discussion. Session details: Date: 15 April 2015 Time: 11:20 – 13:20 Location: Gyeongju – HICO (1F Exhibition Hall B), Citizen’s Forum More on the session here

The World Water Forum is the world’s largest meeting on water. The World Water Forum consists of at least three processes: the Political Process, the Thematic Process and the Regional Process, while gathering officials, legislators and local and regional authorities from more than 150 nations. Each topic is developed in cooperation with the private sector, governments, industry, NGOs and academic groups into a common framework of goals and concrete targets to reach.

At a time when the UN Millennium Development Goals set in 2000 are due to expire and the Sustainable Development Goals should be established, the 7^th World Water Forum will be a historic moment in drawing more actions to tackle water challenges.

In the coming decades, our ability to build a water-secure future will depend upon our capacity to turn future challenges into opportunities. By guaranteeing water security, we will guarantee security in many other domains as well. Indeed, access to water and sanitation is not only an end in itself, but a tool for improving livelihoods, for empowering women and girls and giving them access to education and for preventing disease.

Water security also means using water wisely for providing food and energy, for generating green growth and economic sustainability, for increasing resilience to global changes, and for safeguarding the environment. Moreover, good governance, sufficient capacities, and adequate financial flows are all necessary for the implementation of so many solutions identified during the previous editions of the World Water Forum.

The 7^th World Water Forum will be an opportunity to recognize resolving water challenges as our shared responsibility, which is important to economic development, social inclusion, and sustainable environment.

For more information, visit the World Water Forum website here.