Istanbul International Water Forum
Every three years, the world water community meets at the Istanbul International Water Forum (IIWF). Organised one year prior to the World Water Forum, IIWF is the flagship event of SUEN.
The 1st Istanbul Water Forum was organized on 14-15 February 2009 as a preparatory meeting one month prior to the 5th World Water Forum and it was then planned to become a trianneal international water event. In 2011, the event gained an international dimension by broadening its area of study and range of subjects and focusing on the water-related problems in the Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Turkey. This second forum was held on 3-5 May 2011 with the main theme "An Istanbul Perspective on Regional Water Problems and Search for Solutions" and attracted more than 4,500 participants from over 100 countries. Particularly designed with a regional focus, the 2nd IIWF was listed as the official preparatory meeting for the 6th World Water Forum's Europe Region Process. The Forum also featured a Ministerial Meeting with an aim to stimulate political will towards taking actions regarding regional water challenges. The outcome reports of the 2nd IIWF were introduced at the Stockholm World Water Week 2011 and the 6th World Water Forum held in 2012.
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The 3rd IIWF organized on 27-29 May 2014 brought together over 3,000 water-related people across the world in Istanbul to discuss two all-important subjects: "Water Security" and "Legal Aspects of Water". The eight thematic sessions held under these two main themes featured keynote addresses followed by modarated panel discussions. 21 side/special events were held by local and international organizations on a wide range of subjects. Moving from the UN Millenium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals, the 3rd IIWF hosted a plenary session on "Water Security and Sustainable Development Goals". Another plenary was held on "Istanbul Water Consensus" (IWC), which is a global initiative to help and challenge local and regional authorities to improve their water management strategies and services in the face of global changes. The 3rd IIWF yielded some very important outcomes on water governance, water diplomacy, transboundary water cooperation and urban water management.
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