Summary: Information / Discussion

Water Management

Version française

Time:		16 July 2002, 11:45-12:45 VK 27-10-02
Location:		ICCG 4
Moderator(s):		• Ms. Susana Cevallos, Mandat International (MI)
Presenters/ Participants:		• Ms. Marlies Schuttelaar, World Water Council • Ms. Dorothy Slepyan, Green Cross International
Reporter:		Jean-Damascène Gasanabo (ICVolunteers)
Language:		English / French
Key words:		water, potable, rivers, conflicts, management, green cross, ecosystems, institutions, resources

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ensures that the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are protected worldwide and that inventors and authors are, thus, recognized and rewarded for their ingenuity. Traditional knowledge (such as medicine, arts, etc.) is therefore an important aspect to be protected, in developing countries in particular.

Presenters in this session on water management discussed the various crises facing water supply and the health of river systems in the world. They described some of the projects underway to address the problems. Unfortunately, of five panelists initially scheduled to discuss water management, only two were able to attend. The moderator was replaced by a representative of Mandat International, Ms. Susana Cevallos.

Ms. Marlies Schuttelaar, representative of the World Water Council, delivered a presentation entitled "Actions in the World of Water". She explained that the world today is facing a water crisis due to polluted water systems, growing water shortages. and decreasing water table levels.One-fifth of the world's population does not have access to drinkable water and. fifty per cent of the world's swamps have been destroyed over the past 20 years, causing floods in some parts of the world. Furthermore, water management is divided between numerous unrelated institutions. To bring together the various water management experts and organizations, conferences have been organized over the last twenty years, including Mar Del Plata (1977), Dublin (1992), Rio Summit (1992), WWC, Marseilles (1996), WWF1, Marrakech (1997), WWF2, The Hague (2000) and Kyoto (scheduled for March 2003).

Ms. Schutelaar then outlined some of the objectives of the World Water Council (WWC), including identifying critical issues and prioritizing them, informing the relevant governments and educating the population, encouraging investment in water management, conducting studies, and ensuring that water management and conservation becomes everyone's business. The WWC also promotes the involvement of women in water management, food production using the principles of water conservation, and preserving of ecosystems.

The declaration of the Ministers at the Hague Conference in 2000 identified the following goals for water management:

• Ensure universal access to drinkable water;
• Protect ecosystems;
• Share water resources between different users to avoid water related conflicts;
• Manage risks;
• Recognize the value of water and manage it wisely.

An evaluation of achievements since the Hague Conference will be conducted at the Kyoto Conference in March 2003.

For further information on water-related action plans, Ms. Schutelaar encouraged delegates to visit the WWC Internet site at www.worldwatercouncil.org.

Ms. Dorothy Slepyan, representing the Green Cross, talked about her organization, which was created by Mikhail Gorbachev in 1993 after the Rio Summit. The goal of the Green Cross is to support sustainable development projects related to water systems and to educate the general public on water-related issues. Projects are focused on six large rivers: Volta, La Plata, Danube, Volga, Okavango and Jordan. These projects are carried out jointly with UNESCO.

Interesting questions
A question session followed the two presentations. Asked whether a project designed to share water resources equitably is achievable, Ms. Schuttelaar answered that many organizations, including the Green Cross, have made good progress in this field and that some countries have created special commissions to manage their water. She added that positive experiments are under way, for example in Johannesburg.

Ms. Slepyan added that countries such as Japan and the Netherlands are very active in the field of water management.
Questions for the panelists included a question on the role of civil society in Latin America in water stewardship, a question from a delegate from Togo asking about the possible conflicts over rivers, and a question from an Icelandic woman concerning the privatization of water. Ms. Slepyan noted that privatization of water in Senegal has failed to bring drinkable water to the whole population.

Conclusions
Water is a basic necessity for human survival, and it is everyone's responsibility to protect it. Many organizations are working to improveme water quality. Nevertheless, it is up to each state to ensure that the population finds drinkable water in sufficient quantity by defining equitable water use policies, since there is no international law governing water use or management.

Click here for all available presenters' documents
Click here for all available summaries

Please read about the summaries