Ministerial Conference

The Ministerial Conference took place on the last two days of the Forum (March 22 and 23) and, in addition to two plenary sessions, consisted of

• dialogue between forum participants and ministers
• ministerial subgroup meetings
• agriculture ministers meeting

Delegates gathered for the opening plenary session to hear keynote speakers, reports from the 3^rd World Water Forum, and the announcement of the Portfolio of Water Actions. At the closing plenary session on the second day, delegates reviewed the reports from the subgroups and adopted a Ministerial Declaration and a Portfolio of Water Actions. Announcements regarding several new water-related initiatives were made.

Dialogue Between Forum Participants and Ministers

A dialogue between 519 ministers, senior officials, and Forum participants was held on March 21, as a bridge between the Forum and the Ministerial Conference. Koki Chuma, Japan's Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, gave the keynote speech, and Jerome Delli Priscoli, US Army Corps of Engineers, was the facilitator.

In the first session, participants discussed challenges related to water and poverty, including ways to overcome gender inequality; develop good water governance and legal frameworks; attract investment; empower local authorities; and promote community participation in water management.

In the second session, a different group of participants discussed actions that should be taken after the Forum's conclusion. These included ensuring that the next Forum is more participatory; implementing the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams; acknowledging the human right to water in an international agreement; creating a global fund for water and sanitation; mobilizing the media to inform people about the Millennium Development Goals; developing a UN convention on water and poverty; disseminating the results of the Forum; and implementing the Forum's outcomes through country-level plans.

The dialogue participants produced a final report that contains a consolidated list of ideas generated during the dialogue. It notes "strong support" for integrated water resource management and for affirming rights to water and supports accountability, transparency, and stakeholder participation in decision making on water issues.

Ministerial Subgroup Meetings

The Ministerial Conference included five breakout sessions to give delegates an opportunity to discuss particular issues of interest. To maximize interaction, each delegation was restricted to participate in one assigned session. Each minister was given three minutes to contribute to the discussion, which was then summarized by the session chair.

Water Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem Conservation

The Canadian delegation participated in the Water Pollution Prevention and Ecosystem Conservation session. Minister Joyce Murray (British Columbia), on behalf of the Canadian delegation, drew on her experience as Chair of the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) to highlight elements of the Canadian approach and spoke about British Columbia's model of water management and governance. Minister Murray's comments were well received by the chair and recognized in the chair's closing statement, which encouraged recognition of the value of ecosystem services, multi-stakeholder involvement, multi-level basin management, ecosystem monitoring, cultural diversity in managing water, and dissemination of information.

Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

Participants in the session on Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation spoke about the benefits of achieving the water- and sanitation-related targets and emphasized the need to address disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. They considered financing, governance, and partnership issues, suggested combining "hard" and "soft" solutions, and urged better monitoring and reporting of information. They also highlighted the role of children in promoting hygiene and the importance of involving women in planning, implementing, and managing basic services.

Water for Food and Rural Development

In the session on Water for Food and Rural Development, participants discussed commitments on food security and poverty alleviation, sustainable water use, and knowledge and partnerships. On food security and poverty alleviation, they stressed the need for increased investments in rural areas; improved management of, and additional investment in, existing infrastructure; and a more equitable trading regime. On sustainable water use, they highlighted sustainable groundwater use and advocated implementing policies that provide environmentally sustainable water and land use. On knowledge and partnerships, they underscored the need to enhance partnerships at all levels; strengthen international and local knowledge systems, and promote public awareness and communication.

Disaster Mitigation and Risk Management

Participants in the session on Disaster Mitigation and Risk Management noted that an increase in the frequency of floods is an expected impact of climate change; assessment of the risk of floods and droughts requires new technological developments; flood management should be based on a river basin approach and be balanced with water use and environmental concerns; both preventative and emergency response measures are necessary; vulnerability reduction must be a priority as floods cannot be eliminated; and governments should implement recommendations of the World Summit on Sustainable Development relating to disasters using an integrated, multi-hazard, and inclusive approach.

Water Resource Management and Benefit Sharing

In the session on Water Resources Management and Benefit Sharing, participants recognized the importance of integrated water resource management; governance, water laws, and river and lake basin arrangements, and the need for multi-stakeholder participation and dialogue. They acknowledged the need to develop dams for irrigation, storage, flood control, and energy provision, and stressed the importance of environmental and social impact assessments and resettlement plans. They underscored the importance of financial assistance for capacity building, technology transfer, good governance, and confidence-building measures, and emphasized the need to increase the use of innovative and appropriate technologies, such as desalinization and the reuse of treated water.

Agriculture Ministers Meeting

A distinct and separate meeting of Agriculture Ministers on Water, Food and Agriculture was held during the Forum. The meeting was coordinated by the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage played a major support role.

Thirty-six Ministers of Agriculture were invited, with the vast majority being from Third World countries. The Chairman of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, the Director General of the International Water Management Institute, the Director General of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, the President of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, the President of the World Bank, and the President of the Asian Development Bank were also invited.

Tadamori Oshima, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries for Japan, chaired the session and opened it by recalling UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's appeal for a "blue revolution" that would garner "more crop per drop" to feed the world's undernourished population. Noting that current efforts will not achieve the World Food Summit target of halving the proportion of hungry people by 2015, Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, stressed the role of irrigation in meeting crop production goals and urged greater investment in small-scale irrigation projects and rural development.

Chair Oshima presented the Ministerial Recommendation on Water for Food and Agriculture, and delegates adopted it by acclamation. The Recommendation identifies food security and poverty alleviation, sustainable water use, and partnerships as three key challenges for the agriculture sector. It outlines several actions including the following: to modernize and improve agricultural water use; to increase water productivity; to promote better governance; to consider environmental aspects; to undertake research development; and to foster international cooperation and partnerships.

Portfolio of Water Actions

The Portfolio of Water Actions (PWA) was presented by the host Japanese Government. It contains a compilation of 400 actions submitted by 36 countries and 16 international organizations. Most actions in the Portfolio are on water resource management, benefit sharing, safe drinking water, and sanitation. The Japanese Government will be setting up a Web site to coordinate the continued monitoring and implementation of the actions. Canada submitted five actions:

• research, capacity building, and action in developing countries and economies in transition
• building and sharing of knowledge for better water management
• implementation of a source-to-tap, multi-barrier approach to safe drinking water
• strengthening of governance models for integrated water resource management
• delivery of targeted initiatives to improve water quality access to safe water in Canada

Ministerial Declaration

The Ministerial Conference built on the discussions in the numerous sessions of the Forum, which provided the opportunity for a discussion among participants on the concrete challenges of implementing Millennium Development Goals, World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets, goals, and commitments, and other water-related commitments, and produced a Ministerial Declaration.

Given the timing of the Forum, only six months following World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), the Ministerial Declaration understandably contains no new commitments. It is a high-level document re-asserting global resolve to achieve the water-related Millennium Development Goals and WSSD commitments.

The text of the Ministerial Declaration takes note of the thematic and regional statements and recommendations from the Forum and declares that water is a driving force for sustainable development. With regard to general policies, it emphasizes that ministers should ensure good governance built on strong legal regulatory frameworks, with a stronger focus on community-based approaches addressing equity; mobilize private and public financing; promote integrated water resource management; and identify and develop public-private partnerships while ensuring the necessary public control and legal framework to protect public interests. It affirms that ministers are committed, in the long term, to fortify capacity with assistance from the international community.

Key Announcements

In addition to the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration and the launching of the Portfolio of Water Actions, several important announcements regarding new water-related initiatives were made at the closing plenary session, including the following:

• The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan will support the establishment of the International Flood Network (IFNet), which will launch a project with the capacity to create precipitation maps all over the world every three hours. As a result, flood warnings will be vastly improved and could benefit up to 4.8 billion people, primarily in developing nations.
  
  
• UNESCO will create the Water Cooperation Facility in cooperation with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, the World Water Council, and a group of universities. This facility is intended to "react to crises, assist or intervene in crises, when asked to do so by the parties involved, and will moreover try to anticipate and prevent water conflicts". The Permanent Court of Arbitration has 100 years of experience in mediating conflicts and will offer legal advice and a neutral forum for parties seeking conciliation.
  
  
• UN-HABITAT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Asian Development Bank to help build the capacity of Asian cities to secure and manage "pro-poor" investments and to help the region meet the Millennium Development Goals and the World Summit on Sustainable Development Plan of Implementation targets regarding drinking water and sanitation.
  
  
• The International Water and Climate received support from many international organizations (e.g., the Global Water Partnership, the World Water Council, the World Meteorological Organization, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Conservation Union, UNESCO, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) and will form an International Water and Climate Alliance.

Table of Contents  Previous  Next