The 6th World Water Forum: A time for solutions

Published on: 13/03/2012

‘There is a lot of progress but 800 million are yet to be served…..’

The opening ceremony of the 6^th World Water Forum was a stark reminder of how much harder the world has to work before meeting the MDG targets on water and sanitation. While it was acknowledged that the target of halving the number of people without access to safe drinking water had been met way ahead of 2015, another 800 million people are yet to join that league. Meanwhile, sanitation remains the “poor cousin” as Loic Fauchon, President of the World Water Council and Michel Jarraud Chair of UN Water aptly noted – 2.5 billion people still lack access to sanitation facilities.

Loïc Fauchon President of the World Water Council: "Water security is indispensable for the world. Water security is economic security, social security and ecological security. Water security is strategic for the world tomorrow. It should be singled out as a global priority.”

Speaker after speaker affirmed that numerous interventions have resulted in greater improvement in terms of access to safe drinking water but still they reiterated the need to seek more solutions to the outstanding challenges. Francois Fillon, the Prime Minister of France noted that while the short term vision remains to attain the MDG target, in the long term actors should aim to make the successes universal.

Indeed, while in some parts of the world access to safe water continues to improve, there are many other areas where people continue to “thirst” for safe water. Take the example of two Malian delegates who shared poignant testimonies. One expressed gratitude to all actors whose interventions in Mali had changed her life with improved access to safe water, while the other called upon the delegates to reflect on the feeling of true thirst, which is not just a little dryness of the throat, but a protracted absence of water which sometimes dehumanizes people and plunges them to the level of sharing sources with animals. Thus, as Mr Fillon noted, unequal distribution of safe water remains a key challenge.

Benedito Braga, President of the International Forum Committee: “Water is life and life is water flowing in a river. However the river only reaches the sea if it is well managed. The future of water is here and now. Having access to clean water is a dream for a large part of the world. The lack of water is like the scourge, the leprosy of modern times. ”

In his welcome speech, the Mayor of Marseille expressed optimism that the Forum would come up with real actions and solutions to address the water-related challenges that continue to afflict many people in the world. Referring to the crossroads presented by a burgeoning world population, the increasing need for development and the need for sustainable water supply.

Senator Mayor of Marseille Jean Claude Gaudin:“The time for easy water is over. But the time for difficult water is also over.”

Thus, for the next five days delegates at the 6^th World Water Forum are going to spend time debating, discussing, networking, sharing experiences and…..looking for real solutions. Even on the first day of the Forum, commitments were already coming through. On his part, the French Prime Minister said France would continue to inject a minimum of 600 million Euro per year in aid into water and sanitation. The Mayor of Marseille committed to address the issue of water wastage, while the UN Secretary General promised to build on the resolutions of the World Water Forum during the forthcoming UN Earth Summit 2012 in Rio.

It was a modest but powerful event, with the fanfare limited to just one performance by primary school children from St Martin School in Marseille, who presented a song that elaborated the travails of accessing safe water, using plastic jerry cans for percussions. Perhaps the one line from the children’s song that will be etched in memory for a long time advised us:” If the world is deaf call upon the rain.”