The World Water Forum, the largest international water conference organized every three years, will be held in Istanbul from March 16-22. The theme of the conference is "Bridging Divides" between different regions and technologies. This year’s focus will be on the impact of climate change on water availability and on possible adaptation strategies.

The conference is organized by the World Water Council, which was jointly established in 1996 by the World Bank and key international organizations in the water sector. Its membership now encompasses a broad spectrum ranging from non governmental organizations to academic institutes and stakeholders in development cooperation. However, despite participation from policy makers, the conference has not achieved the kind of political credibility that, for example, a United Nations organized event on this issue could have.

In Istanbul, as in the previous conferences, there will be sufficient material for political debate. Private sector demands for full cost recovery or state investment guarantees for water services are countered by non governmental organizations who criticize that such a move would benefit the private companies rather than the affected communities. In numerous developing countries poor users living in peri-urban areas, for instance, are not in a position to bear the full costs. Private utility companies therefore do not connect such users to the supply network, or the users themselves may opt to use contaminated water due to high costs. It remains to be seen to what extent this year’s conference in Istanbul will produce a political response to this conflict. (Annabelle Houdret)



Further information on the World Water Forum is available at http://www.worldwaterforum5.org

Published in:ECC-Newsletter, February 2009