Under the slogan of “Water for our Future,” the seventh World Water Forum kicked off in Daegu on Sunday with an opening ceremony attended by over 3,000 international and domestic high-ranking officials.
It marks the start of the largest international event to discuss water-related issues, with speakers encouraging the international community to become active stakeholders in implementing solutions for the world’s water challenges. Key speakers included President Park Geun-hye and Benedito Braga, president of the World Water Council, the forum’s organizer.
“We must move toward an era of cooperation and harmony to solve international water disputes. It is very important to effectively manage shared water resources on the planet, where water-related conflicts originate,” Park said.
The president also called upon the international community to actively use science and technology to solve today’s water challenges, calling for collective action by both developing and developed countries to develop water solutions.
Park also said managing shared rivers between North and South Korea would pave the road toward reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, vowing to bring peace through the forum’s achievements.
Braga, the WWC president, also called for international cooperation on dealing with the world’s water-related issues, saying that water deserves clear and transparent debates, adequate solutions and consequent implementation.
Held every three years since its inception in 1977, the WWF, organized by the World Water Council, is considered the largest international platform for discussing issues related to water.
This year’s edition of the forum has three action goals ―water security for all, water development and prosperity, and water and sustainability, according to the WWC. More than 400 sessions are scheduled to touch upon an array of water-related issues under these three action goals.
Throughout the six-day forum, some 30,000 participants from the government, private and civil sectors from around the globe will work toward building a collective framework for ensuring water security and solving shared water challenges.
The forum has been organized into six main sections: political, thematic, regional and science and technology processes, as well as the citizen’s forum. Sessions will take place in Daegu and Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, until Friday.
By Sohn Ji-young (jys@heraldcorp.com)
