22 March 2019, World Water Day, OECD Headquarters, Paris, France
Loic Fauchon, President of the World Water Council, joined Jose Angel Gurria Trevino, Secretary General of the OECD, for World Water Day to reveal a new collaboration.
They launched a new programme to produce new data, evidence and policy guidance on water security in Africa.
This new programme is conceived as a follow-up to the OECD Secretary-General’s receipt of the King Hassan II Great World Water Prize on 21 March 2018 at the 8th World Water Forum under the theme “Working towards greater solidarity and inclusion in order to ensure water security and climate justice”. This tribute paid every three years to strategic leaders recognised OECD’s leadership, guidance and convening power to raise the profile of water in national policy agendas.
The Secretary-General of the OECD explained that: “With 250 million Africans expected to live in water stressed areas by 2030, and 60% of the population expected to live in cities by 2050, now is the time to get water policies right for sustainable development in Africa. We are using the Prize Award as seed money to advance this cause and we need other institutions to join us in this collective effort!”
The President of the World Water Council indicated that: "No country can ignore that water security is essential for sustainable and equitable development. No government can ignore that water is a fundamental human right. No international organization can ignore that water and climate are intimately linked. For this purpose, we must reach out to all sectors while involving all levels of government."
Findings will be released at the 9th World Water Forum, to be held in Dakar, Senegal in 2021.
More information : http://www.oecd.org/cfe/Prize-Brochure-WG.pdf
About the World Water Council
The World Water Council (WWC) is an international multi-stakeholder platform organization, co-organizer of the World Water Forum, whose mission is to mobilize action on critical water issues at all levels, including the highest decision-making level, by engaging people in debate and challenging conventional thinking on water security. The Council focuses on the political dimensions of water security, adaptation and sustainability.
For more information: www.worldwatercouncil.org @wwatercouncil
About the World Water Forum
The World Water Forum is the world's largest event on water. Organized every three years with a host country, the Forum provides a unique platform where the water community and key decision makers can collaborate and make long-term progress on global water challenges. The Forum brings together participants from all levels and areas, including politics, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society and the private sector, among others.
The 8th edition of the Forum was held in 2018 in Brazil and gathered more than 10,000 participants under the theme “Sharing Water”. The next edition will take place in Dakar, Senegal, in March 2021.
