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Asia-Pacific Water Forum
2nd Meeting of the Regional Water Knowledge Hubs Network

The Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF), conceived and launched in December 2006, works to increase the region’s access to improved water supplies and sanitation, protect and restore river basins, and reduce people’s vulnerability to water disasters. Composed of development institutions committed to solving the region’s water issues, the APWF works within a framework composed of 3 priority themes each with 5 key result areas (KRAs).

As an APWF key supporter, ADB is taking the lead in APWF’s Priority Theme A on water financing and capacity development. The first KRA, “developing knowledge and lessons,” involves building a network of water knowledge hubs across the region.

Together with the Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Singapore and the UNESCO-Institute for Higher Education’s Institute for Water Education (UNESCO-IHE), ADB signed a letter of collaboration in June 2007 to help establish a network of regional water knowledge hubs and facilitate the implementation of APWF’s KRA1. A regional consultation meeting among candidate knowledge hubs was held on 29-31 October 2007, which outlined a new approach to strengthening the region’s water knowledge infrastructure and facilitating better solutions to be applied in investment projects and reforms in countries across the region. Results were reported at the 1st Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Japan in 2007.

This recent meeting built upon the results of the first meeting in October 2007 and continued the discussions on establishing the water knowledge hubs network.

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The meeting’s objectives were to

• peer review the business plans developed by the candidate regional water knowledge hubs using guidelines [ PDF ] circulated in January 2008
• fine-tune the business plans through a workshop
• develop the work program and organizational arrangements of the APWF’s Network of Regional Water Knowledge Hubs

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The water knowledge hubs meeting concluded with the following understandings:

• The hubs will finish their business plans by the end of April 2008. The APWF Governing Council is expected to endorse the launch of the hubs and the Network. Each hub has been assigned a particular topic/knowledge domain.
• A launching ceremony for the Network will be organized jointly by ADB, PUB Singapore, and UNESCO-IHE during the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW).
• A Network secretariat will be established to support the hubs in their individual and collective activities. The secretariat will be located in PUB Singapore’s WaterHub.
• ADB, UNESCO-IHE, and PUB Singapore will continue to guide the Network in its operations. Promotion of the Network and its activities will be undertaken through a common website to be established at the secretariat, and at key water events such as SIWW, Asia Water Day at the Stockholm World Water Week, World Water Forum in Istanbul, and others.
• A general meeting of the Network member hubs is envisaged once a year to exchange knowledge and experience through workshops and a study visit. The first general meeting is tentatively scheduled in late September or early October 2008, to be hosted by the Yellow River Conservancy Commission.

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The meeting was hosted by PUB Singapore and facilitated by ADB and the UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education.

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Representatives from candidate water knowledge hubs in the Asia-Pacific region participated in the meeting.

View the list of participants. [ PDF: 15kb | 3 pages ]

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The meeting was held at PUB Singapore.