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access
to
water
and
sanitation
for
all
focus were given as: seeking global leadership for SDGs;
implementation of solutions; creation of economic and social
values; and knowledge sharing and capacity building.
Seeking global leadership for sustainable development
Making water issues the primary political agenda requires
raising awareness of the interface between science and policy
development. It is essential for decision makers to consider
technical solutions as the template for policy development so
that technologies are applied in the right place and at the right
time. To that end, the Water Leaders’ Round Table (WLRT)
has been convened, comprising ministerial staff, heads of
private and public organisations, NGOs, and academia. More
than 30 government heads and delegates, together with
various organizations and citizens were offered the oppotu-
nity to discuss the agenda which had been shared in advance.
In 2017, the Round Table dealt with one of four focus areas
selected from the last year’s leaders’ declaration. The areas
are: promoting the application of science and technology to
water management; the improvement of sanitation and water
reuse; the implementation of Integrated Water Resources
Management for sustainable economic development; and
the formation of sound partnerships for water management.
With its heads of various countries and organisations,
the WLRT publicises its results every year, contributing to
raising awareness on imminent water issues and disseminat-
ing leaders’ willingness to resolve water problems. At the
next KIWW, high-level delegates will convene to decide on
the next actions based on these four focus areas.
Implementation of solutions
The sharing of experiences and understanding of new tech-
nologies and policies encourages the implementation of
sustainable solutions. Two representative programmes were
designed for the purpose of providing a forum for sharing
solutions with both the problem owners and the solution
providers.
The World Water Challenge (WWCH) became one of
three primary programmes generated by the 7th World
Water Forum in 2015. By defining the world’s water chal-
lenges, problem owners were invited to submit cases that are
emblematic of those challenges requiring urgent action. The
WWC encourages solution providers to share knowledge and
best practice in tackling the challenges, and the best solution
provider was given the honour of presenting its case history
and solution at the 7th World Water Forum. The second and
third WWCs were held in 2016 and 2017 in which, amongst
36 solution candidates from 17 countries, the Sorain Bucket
1
was selected as the best solution for fresh water supply. The
WWC becomes more competitive every year and is valuable
for the exchange of best-fit technologies and policies appli-
cable to identified water problems.
Water leaders’ Round Table discussion between ministerial staff and heads of private and public organisations, NGOs, and academia
Technology, Implementation and Policy
as bridging concepts
Technology
Policy
Implementation
Water for
socio-economic
development
Smart Water
Managementt
Water ODA
Common condition
climate change,
population growth,
urbanisation
Bridging issues
WEF NEXUS, finance,
education, capacity
building
Water
governance and
partnership
Water for
recycling and
reuse
Image: KWF
Source: KWF