Catalog

Water Forum
Ending the Hardship: Water and Poverty

Background

Since 1997, the World Water Council’s World Water Forum (WWF) has brought together water sector professionals and stakeholders every 3 years to address concerns, raise awareness on critical issues, induce actions, and leverage resources.

The 1st World Water Forum was held in Marrakech and commissioned the preparation of a long-term vision for water, life, and environment in the 21st century.

In the Hague in 2000, the 2nd WWF adopted a World Water Vision and Framework for Action, following extensive international consultations. A ministerial conference at the Hague focused on water security in the 21st century.

The 3rd World Water Forum takes the process a step forward by tracking global actions and initiating plans to improve water security. ADB plays a lead role in the 2003 Forum, which is being held in Japan in March. It is responsible for organizing the Water and Poverty theme and is contributing to four other themes for the Forum.

Water and Poverty Initiative

Poverty can be reduced where water resources management, water services delivery, and overall water security focus on the needs of the poor. Water and Poverty Initiative discussions will include how to implement a holistic approach to water management that aims to achieve the parallel goals of equitable economic growth and poverty reduction.

Additional Themes Supported by ADB

Water and Asian Cities. A study on water in 20 Asian cities will provide new information on the water situation in urban Asia, including water services provided by both the formal and informal sectors. The study will support the theme Water and Asian Cities, on which ADB is working in collaboration with UN-Habitat.

Water in Small Island Countries. The objective of this theme is to increase the capacity of small island countries to deliver sustainable management of water, sanitation, and hygiene, thus contributing to poverty reduction. This will be achieved by creating a regional policy framework and action plan for the sector, including commitments to action by the member countries and development partners.

Regional Cooperation for Shared Water Resources Management. To facilitate cooperation among countries that share water resources, participants will discuss the issues and joint projects related to development and management of shared water resources, information sharing, and establishment of dispute resolution mechanisms. The discussion will have a special focus on cooperation among Central Asian republics.

Poverty and Floods. This theme focuses on how floods affect the poor, and the ways flood management projects can optimize community coping mechanisms while reducing the negative environmental and social effects of flood control structures. The theme promotes selective use of structural and nonstructural measures—including flood risk insurance—to reduce economic and social costs.

Find out how ADB and its partners address the problem on water in the Asia-Pacific region

Read more about the Water and Poverty Initiative.

Find out the latest on the upcoming 3rd World Water Forum.

Email this to a friend