Global Green & Green Cross at the World Water Forum

March 22, 2009. Saturday, was to be the last day of the forum for most of us, though it culminated on Sunday, appropriately World Water Day, with Ministerial Declarations and a closing ceremony. After many exhausting but highly stimulating presentations all week, I felt I owed it to myself on Saturday morning to attend a small side event by Jennifer Greene, of the Water Research Institute of Blue HIll, whom I had met in Washington DC, on “the intrinsic value of water.”  

At the risk of going overboard on describing this side event (I had not planned to write up any), I’ll digress to say that this is a lesson that I believe should be incorporated into the curriculum of every child’s education. During the course of a few hours in a practical session, where we played around with water samples and colors, we learned to appreciate the extraordinary, and beautiful, properties of water. Filled with awe, in the true sense of the word, we saw water not for the many uses it has for humanity, but for its own unique intrinsic value. In my case, it made some sense of my instinctive fascination with water, a little late perhaps, but for younger people this gives a lesson they can never forget, and that they will take with them the rest of their lives. They’ll never view water simply as a commodity again.

Saturday’s focus sessions were on Irrigation and Climate-related Disasters. Various countries described their approach to ensure the efficient use of water in agriculture. In Mexico the water utility Conagua assigns permits for both water withdrawals and water emissions, with a move toward decentralized control over irrigation districts. China fears its food security is under threat from land degradation, population growth, climate change and water scarcity. Though not specifically disaster-linked, Turkey is encouraging land consolidation to raise irrigation efficiency and agricultural productivity.  Also discussed were water quality, biological research on crop growth, wastewater treatment and demand reduction through domestic water efficiency. With respect to climate-related disasters, early preparation and the establishment of a network of national climate services were called for, as well as help for the poor and encouragement to reduce ”the ecological footprint of humanity.” Public participation in IWRM must be encouraged and the unintended consequences of development considered when making policy decisions.

To achieve transboundary cooperation and sound basin management, harmonization of methodologies, classifications and mapping of aquifers are needed. There was debate on the extent of third parties in international basin conflicts, as opposed to the interested parties themselves. Often riparian state interactions are based on hydro-sovereignty instead of hydro-solidarity. Even the Watercourses Convention is not without conflict: some feel that it must be the basis for international law, while others call for its revision first for the inclusion of environmental concerns and the need for sustainable development. There is not even agreement on “water as a human right” as this can suggest that is a “free for all” resource.

Development is, of course, linked to water infrastructure and both have social and environmental impacts. So the suggestion is to move from water to ecosystem management, with hydro-solidarity as the new organizing concept. Other general comments to improve the next forum were to bridge the disconnect between the theme sessions with the ministerial and local authority sessions, consider linkages between population growth and water security, virtual water (used in production of goods), and teaching of water management, even in native languages. It was stressed that investments in water, education and culture are investments in peace.

That last evening was the culmination, at least of this stage, of our Campaign for Ratification of the Transboundary Waterways Convention. The room was filled to overflow capacity (even before the bar opened!).  David Alix, Head of the Green Cross International Water Program, gave a short address. Ceramic (or similar) water bottles with the Green Cross logo and framed certificates were presented by the head of World Wildlife Fund’s Water Program to each government’s representative (some ministers, others national water authority heads) of each country which had ratified the convention.  Each of them responded with a genuine and sometimes moving speech of acceptance and thanks. This was followed by speeches from spokespeople of countries who had not yet ratified, but had signed the official postcard indicating their intention to do so, starting with France. However, even before the twentieth speech (they were beginning to drag on) the bottles that we had been given were speedily taken back to give to these worthy states. The whole process really underlined, more than any other event, the hugely important role played by the NGOs in this achievement.

World Water Day reportedly started with a screening of the award-winning film “One Water” then largely rehashed the preceding week’s events. The messages reiterated in the short sessions were, from Palestine, the need for ratification of the Water Convention, particularly in light of power asymmetry, together with the help of outside mediators and international organizations, and the whole process brought forward by a young generation focused on the environment and climate change adaptation. There was a clear message that water should be used as a framework to plan the September 2009 3rd World Climate Conference, as well as the all-important climate negotiations in Copenhagen in December this year.

Speculation was finally put to rest with the announcement that the next World Water Forum in 2012, would take place in Durban, South Africa. The Istanbul Forum was my second, and what stands out for me in this 5th forum is the diverse attendance by so many groups of stakeholders, including the young, and at least some appreciation for the broader social and environmental aspects of water issues. Perhaps I’ll be lucky enough to report on the 2012 forum too, and the progress made in the intervening three years! (Finn Longinotto)     

March 21, 2009. At this, the fifth formal day of the forum, with still a full day to go, presenters and participants are visibly slowing down. But the sessions were no lo less interesting (although some presenters could work on their presentation skills, rather than reading texts, often with illegible visuals – but such is the nature of these things). The scope and extent of exhibits are also fascinating.

The Ministerial Conference made progress on what is considered the forum’s main outputs, the Istanbul Ministerial Declaration (IMD) and the Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC), neither of which is legally binding (50 local authorities have committed to signing the IWC). The ministers were reminded of their collective duty to resolve global water challenges and, even more ambitiously, a minister from Hungary called for a ‘new green deal’ to solve both the financial and water crisis for all! At last (in my subjective opinion) attention was accorded the ecosystem, with a minister from Ecuador stressing the need to preserve aquatic ecosystems and the environment. The participation of native peoples and local communities was urged, as well as gender equity in water and sanitation.

The ‘high level trialogue’ (not a word recognized by my computer’s spell-check) brought together ministers, parliamentarians and local authorities. The UAR Minister of Environment and Water said what we have been saying, that the equitable sharing of water is a prerequisite for peace. It was regretted by Mexico, and certainly others, that not more progress had been made on implementing the human right to water since the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico. The obligation not to target water infrastructure during conflict, corruption and lack of financing were raised again. The World Water Council (WWC) president noted that water is a political issue that requires political decision making. Climate change (‘adaptation’ in the water community’s vocabulary) must focus on water at the 2009 conference in Copenhagen.  Learning and sharing of knowledge should be part of the discussion, with water viewed, as South Africa does, as a life-sustaining scarce resource. Infrastructure is of course important, such as dams and dikes, but natural infrastructure, aquifers and river basins, have a place in adaptation too.

The regional session, Asia-Pacific this time, not surprisingly stressed regional cooperation, especially necessary regarding floods, saltwater intrusion, and water storage limitations. The guiding principles of the forum’s regional document include decentralization, adequate finance and capacity building. Water ministers were asked to improve scientific knowledge and harmonize data, develop technology (including rainwater harvesting), improve mitigation, increase water efficiency in agriculture, and promote stakeholder participation. Derived from these were recommendations for Ministerial actions, implementing existing commitments, creating strong policies, community activities, and budget allocations.

There were several simultaneous sessions to do with ensuring water resources and storage, so I attended the International Network of Basins Organizations session, which discussed river basins, watercourses and the campaign to ratify the Watercourses Convention, in all of which we have been involved. There must have been a couple of hundred people in the overflow room, with many of the presentations in French. The Basin Organization has been working in national and transboundary areas since 1964 and the Water Law dates from 1982. From the participant sitting next to me, who had been there (not in that seat) since the beginning, I learned that the formal name was "Agence Financiere des Bassins," which really underlines the close tie to financing, without which nothing is possible. 

The other ingredient discussed at length, equally essential as a basis of good water management, is the principle of ‘hydro-solidarity’, basically the involvement of all stakeholders with the inclusion of citizenry throughout a basin, and mutual understanding over all things water between basins and elsewhere. Interestingly (to those of us who have also been involved with chemical weapons clean-up) the Umatilla River Basin in Utah was cited as a glowing example of hydro-solidarity at work. In this case it was the citizenry who asked the county board to form a group to represent the community’s interest. With a twenty-member panel and the help of Oregon University and visionary foresight, a water management plan was developed which extends to the year 2050. 

Arab states wanted “mutual assistance in severe cases” (only?) and stood firmly behind ratification of the International Watercourses Convention (more on that coming from the following day’s and the forum’s final event on Saturday).  Reactions to the speakers included the comment that ecosystems services had not been adequately covered and that there is a continuing need to invest in participation. A US speaker made the point that the future does not necessarily depend on central governments, in fact individual states have moved ahead of government into a leadership position in water resources planning. Stephan Robinson, Green Cross Switzerland, asked to what degree policy decisions were based on academics’ recommendations and mentioned a GC study on this. In a different session, also well attended, a presenter asked how many policy people were in the room and, not surprisingly though disappointingly, very few hands were raised. The asymmetry of power was brought up together with its influence in distorting base lines. 

A Turkish speaker (their numbers were disproportionately high in many events) made a strong verbal complaint about “international intervention” and suggested that Turkey, Iraq and Syria were quite capable of managing their common basins without this. The comment that the “London Institute is guided by Israel” drew hoots. The hostile atmosphere was somewhat calmed by (ex-Green Cross Vice President) Bertrand Charrier’s remark that though some basins may not need outside help, others do, particularly in Africa, and the sharing principles needed to be recognized by the international community in the form of ratification of the 1997 convention, the only one of its kind (19 countries out of the required 35 have ratified). The culture of peace should unite the citizenry of each basin and we should not give up on what was started eleven years ago. 

In a related session, Gidon Bromberg, Friends of the Earth Middle East, stressed that we need to adjust the vision, not simply to ‘meet’, but to ’manage’ demand. Till then managing demand had not been raised, and, as he pointed out, it is cheaper to consume less than to create more by burning more fossil fuels, especially in this era of climate change.   Bertrand Charrier noted that this was the first time that a possible solution to some of the Middle East’s water problems involved five separate states (including Palestine, not technically a state). Though the focus here was on the Jordan River Basin, excellent comments were made elsewhere regarding successful transboundary basin cooperation in South Africa, Mexico, Central America, etc.

As this is getting longer than intended, before closing I’ll mention only two contrasting sessions, which seem to underline the use of both old and new approaches. The 3,000 year-old Qanat underground water supply system is still cited today as a successful model public participation in water resource management.  At the other end of the spectrum, an interesting Dutch presentation on non-traditional capacity building, suggested on-line solutions to match donors to beneficiaries, cloud computing, on-line gaming techniques to stimulate creative thinking in the water management sector, and micro-blogging on Twitter to raise funds.

At the end of a long day, refreshments at various stands were again most welcome – and what better way to raise interest than the national stands’ offerings  -  Dutch beer, French wine, and tequilas at the Mexican stand. In fact, this preceded the final session of the day, the Jordan River Basin, which started at 7:30 and finished at 9:00 p.m., a true tribute to the presenters. (Finn Longinotto)

March 20, 2009. The day’s regional sessions focused on the Mediterranean and Arab countries. Input from the sessions would be used in the final draft of the Mediterranean regional document, taking into account the political priorities for the region, including sustainable financing, climate change, and synergies between integrated water resources management (IWRM) and integrated coastal zone management ((ICZM). Demand management and efficiency, stakeholder participation and gender awareness were considered. 

Tourism, urbanization and migration have put particular pressure on coastal regions. At the same time a lack of integration of marine and terrestrial interests lead to tension between rich and poor communities, with tourism and agriculture competing for the same water resources. IWRM and ICZM have to be implemented together, taking into account such factors as wastewater treatment and desalination, as well as regional initiatives. 

In the Arab countries the main needs are implementation of the right to water, funding for water and sanitation, efficient use of water, water managers in place and education about water resources. The former Prime Minister of Sudan said that water, unlike oil, was a shared resource which had to be managed with sound policies and respect for the rights of others (I don’t think he meant that this wasn’t necessary for oil – author’s comment!). The Minister of Water in Iraq described his country as ‘water insecure’, with most of its water sources originating outside the country. There are renewed efforts for Iraq to talk with Turkey and Syria, and Arab countries were urged to ratify existing international treaties on transboundary watercourses. Because of general aversion to ‘water privatization’, he suggested changing ‘vocabulary’ to open the way for public discussion on financing options.

On the political front, the previous day’s separate meetings of parliamentarians and local authorities were combined – a historic event – so as to discuss decentralization and the right to water and sanitation jointly. Most parliamentarians agreed to the right to water and sanitation in principle, but it is up to local authorities to put it into effect. There is general support for devoting 1% of official development assistance for effective management of water resources by local authorities in developing countries and to help implement the MDGs. The Istanbul Water Consensus (IWC) should be adopted – it  emphasizes the role of local and regional authorities to achieve water security and the MDGs. ‘Champion Cities’ in addition to commitments in the IWC have agreed to act as ambassadors and promote the IWC within their regions. Local authorities want to maintain control of any implementation process and but must meet the water and sanitation needs of their citizens.  

Local authorities must also be able to mobilize financing for water treatment and sanitation in rapidly growing cities. It was noted that the humans are changing the water cycle, and this in turn affects human health and nutrition.  Local authorities understand their citizens’ needs best and can implement water as a human right as long as they have funds, from national or international sources, to do this. In fact, local and regional authorities in many countries were said to have better financial performance in both borrowing and spending than national authorities.

The session on ‘Water management during and after disasters and conflict’ opened with the observation that disasters tend to trigger intense media coverage, but then interest quickly fades and financing can become a problem. The Palestinian territories formed the focus of discussion with the lack of progress in the provision of drinking water and sanitation directly blamed on the political situation and the threat of renewed conflict. What is needed is coordination on the ground, flexibility and a long-term perspective from donors. 

The League of Arab States and the Palestinian Water Authority pointed out that water is protected by international humanitarian law as ‘a civilian object indispensible to the survival of the human population.’ Shaddad Attili, with whom we also met, noted that President Abbas wants the subject of water ‘taken out’ of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and he announced that the Palestinian Authority would support the UN Watercourses Convention, an important symbolic step, and continue to seek dialog with Israel. Desalination, he said, meant ‘abandoning the water under our feet’ and instead favors international law to share transboundary resources. 

Much has been said already on ‘global change and risk management’  but the session added the need for a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive, national responsibility, early warning systems, simple language, and women in decision-making. There is also a need to combine modern and traditional communication tools, engage the private sector, and link water and adaptation after disaster.  

Poverty and hunger and the resultant food crisis were called a threat to advancing human development and the MDGs.  Agriculture had hardly been mentioned. It seems the right to water has been recognized but not protection for the right to water for food. There were recommendations on ‘achieving food production to meet growing demand’, which prompts me to wonder (author’s privilege!) why nothing is ever mentioned about managing demand, for food and water, in an ecologically sound way, encouraging conservation and limits to growth both of populations and resource utilization (again, my comment, not reporting events!). 

Finally, the pricing of water services remains as contentious as ever. The session focused on making real a paradigm shift from full cost recovery from tariffs to ‘sustainable’ cost recovery based on multiple pricing mechanisms.  There was a call for heavy users and wealthy users to pay more. Sustainability should factor in the real cost of agriculture and hidden costs, such as that of building partnerships, dealing with poor project design, debt and of building up transparency and stakeholder participation. (Finn Longinotto)

March 19, 2009. Readers will be glad to hear that they won’t be subjected to quite so long a report as they were yesterday. There are two reasons for this, the relatively large number of sessions dealing with purely Turkish and local Istanbul water issues (not that that they are any less important) and, secondly, that on the broader topics many of the good points have been made and reported on already!  Some discussions are moving from theory into implementation, so are worth pursuing. The huge number of side events, not covered here, would merit volumes on their own.

One fascinating fact emerging from the In and Around Turkey session was that Turkey’s hydraulic system is made up of dams, cisterns, and canals that in some cases have been operating for over 500 years! Inland in Anatolia the rise in temperature in summer and decline in precipitation in winter is expected to result in water shortage in the future. On the other hand, in the Tigris-Euphrates watershed the higher temperatures within the basin and the surrounding area cause snow to melt resulting in higher water levels in the basin, and, in turn, the need to build large water storage facilities.

In Africa, there was a strong call for all stakeholders, rich and poor, to bridge (the conference’s sub-title) the continent’s huge water and sanitation divides. The annual amount needed to meet targets in three main areas – access to drinking water and sanitation, water for agriculture, and hydroelectric power and storage - was put at US$ 50 billion. At the end of the session South Africa announced that it would host the 7th session of AMCOW and the 2nd Africa Water Week in November 2009. They also made a plug for holding the next, 6th, forum in three years’ time (one hears that Durban and Marseilles are the contenders).

The Parliamentarians session were attended by about 200 parliamentarians from around the world. Let’s hope this translates into effective legislation in tackling the water crisis. Several participants called for the creation of a permanent ‘world water parliament’ to coordinate efforts to legislate measures into national laws, such as the inclusion of access to water as a basic human right, legislation against corruption, and benefit sharing so as to balance upstream and downstream riparian states. From Bolivia there were comments on the lack of access to technologies to harness water from glaciers, from others the avoidance of water pollution, and the effect of armed conflict on water quality. 

In parts of Central Africa conflicts and environmental problems are greater threats than water scarcity. The need to ratify the Watercourse Convention, which we and others have been working on was also mentioned, along with a call for separate agreements on the two distinct resources which are transboundary and international watercourses.  The session concluded on a positive note announcing legislation in the US Senate which provides for water for 100 million people in developing countries.

A thematic session posed the question, “Can adaptation to climate change be adequately financed?” No ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer given, but plenty of suggestions on using funding effectively, prioritizing the water sector, and on the need for well-designed and viable projects to attract government and public support. It was commented that technical approaches and traditional cost-benefit assessments are inadequate in the face of climate change adaptation and social concerns for equity and burden sharing had also to be considered. Several speakers brought up the importance of strong and accountable institutions for fair access to water and sanitation.

A session presented the legal framework for the right to water and sanitation and how it applies in emergencies and can be put into practice. International humanitarian law, based on the Geneva Conventions and Protocols, applies mainly to armed conflict, and primarily through ‘the right to life’ protects water and water facilities during conflict. Human rights law applies in peacetime, including natural disasters, but few organizations are working on both human rights and water and sanitation. The human right to water and sanitation on an equitable and reasonable basis, not on ‘minimum’ needs, should be Israel and Palestine’s goal too, while the international community should be in a position to ensure this in conflict areas. Recognizing the right to water needs to be part of the Ministerial Declaration of the forum. (Finn Longinotto)

March 18, 2009. The conference is going smoothly, with so much happening that what I decide to attend and report is rather subjective. Before getting into the meat, to satisfy some curiosity I'll note that the minor incident at the opening made the papers, with the disclosure that the group behind the banner unfurling was the NGO International Rivers, against the Ilisu dam project in the SE of Turkey (resulting in the overnight jailing and deportation of two women - better than the potential alternative, a year in prison).

A good point to start regarding the Water and Disasters sessions is the introduction by World Water Council (WWC) President Loic Fauchon, who listed the imperatives called for by the Hyogo Framework for Action: galvanize and organize before a disaster; prioritize forecasting; inform, alert and evacuate; incorporate risk reduction and adaptation to climate change in development planning; improve disaster response; and provide safe water and sanitation after disaster.

A note on language. All sessions are in one of the conference's official languages - Turkish, English and French. Why French some may ask! In fact, the French have a long history and expertise in the international water sector. In February 2005 France also passed a groundbreaking law which further encouraging international cooperation. This law enables municipal areas to carry out cooperation, emergency relief and international solidarity work in partnership with foreign communities and organizations, within the limits of 1% of the resources which are allocated to drinking water and sanitation service budget. In France water services are provided by local, not national authorities.

Some good points from various meetings: Knowledge has to be shared and UN agencies should continue helping developing countries design and implement their didaster plans. A major shortcoming of disaster risk assessment is often that the root causes of some disasters, such as land use and poverty, are not taken into account. The Prince of Orange stressed the need to recommit to the MDGs, especially on water and sanitation,and called for the political will and funds to do this. The World Bank recognizes that the water sector is underfunded and to avoid a "lost decade" wants to see water and energy efficiency initiatives linked.  Funding cuts in the current economic crisis have seriously diminished capital improvements, low income assistance and social support programs.

In the first of two thematic sessions for the day, Governance and Management, an Indian delegate said that the recognition of the human right to water should extend to all life, and sanitation should be part of it.  Europe actually has a Protocol on Water and Health, which legally pairs environment and health with the objective of access worldwide to safe drinking water and sanitation.  As a South African delegate put it “water is life but sanitation is dignity.” 

The second theme of the day, Global Change and Risk Management, drew attention to the increase in disasters caused by climate change and the need to minimize damage and increase resilience, through infrastructure, integrated flood management and information exchange. Extreme events can create the potential for disaster, but the actual disaster is often caused by inadequate human response to those events.  We must focus on impacts.

In the experts panel on water and the financial crisis, the crisis was seen as an opportunity to push for water sector reforms.  Every dollar invested in water and sanitation actually saves 4-12 dollars in health and social costs.  It was suggested that more money could be obtained from finance ministries by stressing the benefits of water investments in health, education and poverty reduction.

Finally, in the Regional Presentations, the Central Americcan and Caribbean  regions are vulnerable to climate change and need developed countries’ help. Transboundary water resources have been put under stress by economic development, population growth and climate change, calling for a flexible but enforceable legal framework, water management and information sharing.  In Europe the protection of rivers has been a great achievement, but groundwater pollution is still a problem.  No part of Europe was said to be immune to water scarcity and supply-side management is unsustainable.  The European Water Association summed up the key challenges as mitigating climate change, coping with population growth and upgrading infrastructure. (Finn Longinotto)

March 17, 2009. The first morning the President of Turkey, Abdullah Gul, officially opened the forum, the world's largest water-related event, with the theme "Bridging Divides for Water," and stressed its objective of efficient water usage to avoid a worldwide crisis.  A record attendance of 28,000 from 156 countries is expected.

Large numbers and an ambitious agenda make logisitcs somewhat unwieldy, but generally they have been efficiently dealt with, though so many topics and locations complicate trying to select and find the event one wants to attend as well as hook up with others.  However, the authorities have a large number of people around to assist, not the least for security. 

The latter were put to work the first day to instantly impede efforts to unfurl a protest banner. News reports also showed about 300 protestors from local civil society outside the Exhibition Center, who were kept at bay with water cannons.  The protestors' basic message is that the water authorities are cosying up to corporate suppliers and not paying enough attention to water needs of the people. In fact, one of the unique aspects of this forum is that it tries to bring together three groups of stakeholders - government, water suppliers, and civil society representing individual users.

In the afternoon, sessions started on the six sub-themes, under the forum's main theme mentioned above: risk management; advancing human development and the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs); managing and protecting water resources; governance and management; finance; education, knowledge and capacity development.

Among other presenters, Karin Krchnak of the The Nature Conservancy (we NGOs had been meeting in Washington DC in preparation for the forum) called for integrated water resource management to meet human and environmental needs.

In a special focus session on Droughts participants noted the need for more emphasis on adaptation srategies. And at another session on Gender Equity, Bertrand Charrier, ex-Green Cross, stressed that water and sanitation are different issues and both have unique gender-related dimensions. Download his paper here.

Among the many topics to follow in the next days are regional discussions, as well as thoughts on adaptation to climate change. (Finn Longinotto)

March 16, 2009. The Green Cross/Global Green team is gathering in Istanbul, arriving from different corners of the world for the 5th World Water Forum. As the meetings get underway, you can learn more by downloading documents provided by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), both on the 5th Forum, and key sessions where we, together with WWF and others, will be promoting the UN Watercourses Convention (Note: The IUCN Side event SHARE is now scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Thursday 19th.) (Finn Longinotto)

March 11, 2009. The 5th World Water Forum will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, March 16 – 22, 2008. There will be strong participation of Green Cross, with representatives from Green Cross International (David Alix), Green Cross Switzerland (Stephan Robinson), Green Cross Brazil (Celso de Oliveira), Green Cross Russia (Alexander Fyodorov), Green Cross France (Marie-Laure Vercambre), and Global Green USA (Finn Longinotto). Finn will be sending daily reports from the event.

Together with World Wildlife Fund, Green Cross International will also be co-hosting a Side Event at the forum on its campaign to bring into force the 1997 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses. Green Cross France was instrumental in obtaining France’s commitment, announced on March 10, 2008 at a press conference given by the French Minister for the Environment, Jean-Louis Borloo, to ratify the Convention.  We expect and hope this will create the momentum for other countries to follow suit and finally see this important treaty enter into force.

Download World Water facts from the 5th World Water forum.