Ministers Adopt Declaration on Tackling Water Issues

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Sunday, March 23, 2003

Ministers Adopt Declaration on Tackling Water Issues

Delegates at the World Water Forum in Kyoto on Sunday adopted a ministerial declaration expressing their commitment to deal with global water issues.

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Delegates at the World Water Forum in Kyoto on Sunday adopted a ministerial declaration expressing their commitment to deal with global water issues.

According to the forum secretariat, ministers and officials from 170 countries, regions and 43 international organizations reached an agreement on the declaration before the conclusion of their two-day meeting later in the morning.

The declaration states that a large amount of investment in water supply and sanitation is necessary to meet the internationalcommunity's target of halving by 2015 the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and to basic sanitation.

It states the ministers and representatives will "redouble" their efforts to mobilize financial and technical resources from both the public and private sector.

The declaration also stipulates that while basic hygiene practices at the household level should be encouraged, intensifiedefforts should also be launched to promote technical breakthroughs.

Another focal issue is how the international community will finance costs to tackle water-related problems, and the declaration states the ministers and chief delegates will take note of a recent report on financing water infrastructure.

The "Report of the World Panel on Financing Water Infrastructure -- Financing Water For All" calls for the current spending of roughly 80 billion US dollars a year on new water infrastructure in developing countries to double over the next 20-25 years to 180 billion dollars.

A panel chaired by Michel Camdessus, honorary governor of the Banque de France and former managing director of the InternationalMonetary Fund, compiled the report at the request of the World Water Council, a co-organizer of the water forum.

The ministerial meeting has also unveiled a Portfolio for WaterActions, stating a total of 422 action plans or contributions from36 countries and 16 international organizations toward the resolution of water issues.

In the portfolio, Japan had by far the longest list of 91 action programs related to water covering five areas, such as water resource management and disaster alleviation.

Around 24,000 people had registered through Saturday to attend the eight-day forum held in the western Japan prefectures of Kyoto,Osaka and Shiga until later Sunday, according to the forum's secretariat.

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