Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Africa water, Sanitation May-June2015 Vol. 10 No.3 | Page 10

NEWS in brief
Countries must deliver roadmap for a water secure
world

Global Highlights

that a Sustainable Development Goal for Water should
be adopted and that countries should use the roadmap to
support implementation.
The 7th World Water Forum facilitated a number of political
agreements which mark a step forward in international
water co-operation. These agreements include the historic
signing of a new agreement between the US and Mexico
regarding the Colorado River Management. The Forum also
saw a trilateral ministerial meeting between Japan-ChinaKorea where ministers pledged to strengthen the core-role of
water in sustainable development and attract more financial
investment in the water sectors.
Benedito Braga, President of the World Water Council said
“The 7th Forum has demonstrated that it is the place where
world leaders in the water community come to mobilize
political action.

Closing ceremony of the 7th World Water Forum - Daegu, 17 April.
Photo: National Committee for the 7th World Water Forum

• Implementation Roadmap developed to guide work
of next three years
• Sustainable Development Goals in September mark
next milestone
• Major political agreements made at the 7th World
Water Forum
The 7th World Water Forum entitled ‘Water for our Future’
drew to a close today, and was heralded by participants as
the most politically impactful ever.
The 7th World Water Forum brought together over 30,000
visitors from 168 countries which comprised 9 heads of
State, 80 government ministers and 100 official national
governments delegations. All of these participants have
engaged in dialogue and debate putting water at the heart
of our future. During the week, the water community and
decision-makers agreed that investing in water must be a top
priority for the political agenda in the next decade.
To guide this action, an ambitious roadmap has been
formalized which paves the way for the 8th World Water
Forum which will take place in Brasilia in 2018. This is the
first time a formal commitment has been signed at the World
Water Forum to ensure appropriate action is taken by all
stakeholders. This is a ready-to-use resource for governments
which covers the fields of Financing Infrastructure, Food
Security, Green Growth and Governance, and all other
aspects of water security. The progress of this roadmap can
be followed online to ensure transparency and accountability
for actions. The World Water Council, the Republic of Korea
and Brazil will ensure that countries will deliver actions.
The next major milestone on the roadmap is the Sustainable
Development Goals which will be set in New York in
September. There was consensus at the World Water Forum

“The pledges made during the 7th Forum will be carried
to New York as a major contribution to the adoption of a
Sustainable Development Goal on water.
“A clear commitment has emerged from this week: to carry
forward an agenda for action that will send a clear signal
to the world: we know what needs to be done, and we are
getting on with the job.”
The 7th Forum once again has proven to be the place where
the water community comes together to trigger action at all
levels.
Source: World Water Council

Over a third of UK imports come from water risk
countries

Experts are urging businesses to secure their future by
addressing the mounting global water crisis affecting them
and their suppliers in a new report.
The report compiled by the UK arm of the World Wildlife
Fund titled ‘From Risk to Resilience: Does your business
know its water risk?’ encourages businesses to assess supply

Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • May - June 2015

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