Mr. Fauchon, could you first give us a brief overview on the role of the World Water Council (WWC) in global water issues and the main areas it currently focuses on?
The World Water Council created during the First World Water Forum in Marrakech, Morocco, in 1996 to respond to the emergent global water issues, and the need for coordinate collective action.
The Council is a non-profitable international organization that aims at gathering the international community, advocating political action for water security, and organizing the World Water Forum.
It values a comprehensive dialogue that integrates the knowledge and challenges of all sectors of activity and multilevel stakeholders, from grassroot to high level political sphere.
By offering a space for meeting and exchanging ideas, it provides an opportunity for all actors in the water sector and related fields to have an equal voice and to be heard.
Secondly, the Council is advocating for water to be a global priority on the political agenda, promoting sustainable water management practices, ensuring access to safe water and sanitation for all, and fostering cooperation among stakeholders to address water-related challenges, including conflicts over water resources.
The Council aims to raise awareness for innovative approaches, practical solutions, and on-the-ground responses, such as unconventional water resources, water-saving measures and nature-based solutions.
Last but not least, the Council organizes the World Water Forum, a triennial worldwide event that brings together stakeholders from around the world to discuss, find solutions and take collective action on water-related issues.
We all know that the business as usual is not sufficient to reach the SDGs for water. What do you think are the most prominent areas to change the mindset to address the multi-faceted challenges related to water and sanitation?
Indeed, business as usual is incompatible with a successful slope towards meeting the goals of SDG 6 on water. And I like to say that water is politics, to explain that progress rests on the mindset of the global governance actors, including politicians, business leaders and society's spokespeople.
As you mentioned, water related issues are multifaced and interconnected to many different sectors. Water stands at the heart of the problem and is the key to all SDGs.
The World Water Council embraces a five-fingers alliance approach, embodying the interlinkages between water, food, energy, and ecosystem, but also health and education.
Thus, there is no "one-size-fits-all". Each stakeholder, in their respective fields, must bring their expertise to bear on specific water issues. These experts have a responsibility to share the challenges they face, in order to create a pool of knowledge that will allow a clearer landscape and more informed and effective decisions to be taken by policymakers.
Action is needed at all levels, local, regional, national, and international.
The 10th World Water Forum, the world’s largest water event, will be held in Bali, Indonesia in May 2024. Can you tell us how the upcoming forum will differ from the previous ones?
The Council organizes the World Water Forum, the world's largest water event, which every three years brings together stakeholders from around the world to discuss, find solutions and take collective action on water-related issues.
Every forum has structural and substantial differences. This year the 10th World Water Forum, is taking place in Bali (Indonesia) from 18-25th May 2024 under the banner "water for shared prosperity”.
The 10th World Water Forum happening in Bali is truly symbolic, as water is particularly sacred in Bali and is the subject of glorification ceremonies. Thus, by drawing on Indonesian culture, the link between water, people and nature is enhanced. Water is indeed at the heart of our lives.
Furthermore, Indonesia has an important role in water governance which brings an added value to the Forum. Indonesia is actively participating in regional and international initiatives and organizations related to water governance due to its location between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As an archipelagic nation, Indonesia is particularly vulnerable to water-related hazards such as sea-level rise. The country therefore specializes in disaster management, resilience, and climate change adaptation efforts. Even though Indonesia is abundant with water resources, including rivers, lakes, and groundwater, it is challenged by safe drinking water, sanitation, and irrigation infrastructure issues particularly in remote areas.
The theme of water for shared prosperity applies to a wide range of issues, influencing economic development, public health, environmental sustainability, social equity, and cultural well-being.
As the host country of the 5th World Water Forum held in 2009 in Istanbul and as an active country within the WWC structure, how do you envisage the role of Türkiye to support addressing the water challenges at the regional and global levels?
Türkiye has a long history of water management and governance, with various policies and institutions evolving over time to manage its water resources effectively. Türkiye’s ongoing reforms and initiatives have demonstrated the country's commitment to adapting its water management practices to meet contemporary needs and challenges.
Türkiye has developed expertise and skills in various aspects of water management including hydropower engineering, dams and reservoir construction, irrigation technics, water treatment, wastewater surveillance, and so on. Thus, the expertise of Türkiye represents an important source of knowledge that can be passed on to other countries at regional and global scale. This can be achieved through the country’s participation in international forums and conferences, but also on a sectoral scale, with industry and cooperation.
As a general message, the World Water Council expects its members to bring forward ideas and initiatives to keep progress moving forward. Türkiye can support research and development initiatives in collaboration with international partners to advance scientific knowledge, innovation, and resilience in water management.
We encourage our members to grasp the complexity and scale of the current and future challenges of water management and consumption control, by anticipating sizeable and concrete responses and opening dedicated funding.