World Water Council

Brazil kicks off preparation for 2018 World Water Forum

Official launch of the 8th World Water Forum – More than 700 political leaders, elected officials, diplomats, water experts and operators, researchers and representatives of civil society gather from today to 29 June to identify and prioritize the most pressing water issues, which require to be collectively and globally addressed. Another output of this international collaboration is to define the Forum roadmap “Road to the 8th Forum” with the schedule of preparatory events around the world leading up to the event to be held 18-23 March 2018 in Brasília, at the Ulysses Guimarães Convention Center.

With the highest attendance a World Water Forum kickoff ever recorded, including strong political and diplomatic participation, this international collaboration witnesses not only stronger concerns for water but also recognition of shared responsibilities and need for cooperation among nations.

This event marks the beginning of two years of an open multi-stakeholder preparatory process converging towards the 2018 World Water Forum, the largest water event in the world. Its ambition is to catalyze changes in the face of threats as well as opportunities. To deliver high impact, five processes held by: the Political Commission, the Regional Commission, the Thematic Commission, a Sustainability Focus Group and a Citizens Forum – will work to design the global framework of the 8th World Water Forum.

“Water, irreplaceable resource, must be shared between many uses and users, each of whom wants security. We all have a shared responsibility in order to achieve security, sustainability, and resilience tomorrow.” highlights Benedito Braga, President of the World Water Council and Secretary of State for Sanitation and Water Resources for the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“Brasilia was born under the sign of the new and when you look at the future, the city needs to remain at the forefront. In this same sign, having the Forum here is a favorable opportunity so that the city reflects on its own needs and capabilities, but also register in an innovative global agenda with the understanding of water management as a safe path to sustainability.” Rodrigo Rollemberg – Governor of Brasilia

“Brazil will have the opportunity to share with the world water community the strength of our institutional framework, with a strong participation of the civil society, due to our decentralized and participative legislation. It is important to emphasize the opportunity that we will have to raise water to a new level, a higher level, calling all stakeholder to discuss water not only as a cross cutting element, but also as a fundamental element for our development” – Vicente Andreu, Director President of ANA.

Sharing Water is the overarching theme of 8th edition of the World Water Forum, organized by the World Water Council together with the Government of Brazil and of Brasilia, conveys the many faces of sharing water: sharing knowledge and experience, sharing transboundary duties, sharing responsibilities, sharing a common vision, sharing best practices, sharing lessons learned, especially when the resource is scarce or overwhelming, when infrastructures are misfit and the investments absent.

Sustainability as driving force
The sustainability Focus Group, cross-cutting the other commissions and the Citizens Forum, and all aspects of the organization – one week event, expo and fair –, is also an innovation of the 8th World Water Forum. Building on Brazil’s long experience in sustainable development, it is responsible for bringing reflections on several water themes from the different sectors of society (civil, business, government, students, etc.), considering the three pillars of sustainability – social, environmental, economic -, and the principles established by the main international agreements and broadly accepted concepts, including the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Its action goal is to contribute to the development and adoption of more sustainable water management models and practices by current and future generations.

N.B. – The text does not bind the staff of LMFInternational. Only the companies, organizations and associations which sign the press release and which are clearly indicated in the title of the text, are responsible for its information and contents.