World Water Forum

It helped to raise awareness of the global water crisis and to galvanize action to address the key challenges.

The key challenges identified in the ministerial declaration are still relevant today, and they require urgent attention.

In addition, the debate was furthered within the context of the new commitments of meeting the goals set forth at the United Nations in New York (2000), in Bonn (2001) and then in Johannesburg (2002).

[20] Noteworthy events included: Over 30,000 participants from 182 countries took part in the 5th World Water Forum, from 16 to 22 March 2009 in Istanbul, Turkey.

[27] For the first time in the World Water Forum's history, a heads of state[28] meeting was organized.

In addition, the ministerial statement[29] and water guide[30] were developed through a series of four preparatory meetings of government officials, in which thematic and regional coordinators and representatives of major groups participated.

Further exchanges with stakeholder representatives were organized through ministerial roundtable discussions during the 5th World Water Forum.

Local and regional authorities in attendance produced the Istanbul Water Consensus[31][32] (IWC), a new compact for local and regional authorities willing to commit to adapting their water infrastructure and services to the emerging challenges they are facing.

In addition to the session programme, a number of high-level panels were organized on issues such as water-related disasters,[33] sanitation, the water-food-energy nexus and financing.

The 8th World Water Forum took place in Brasília, Brazil, from 18 to 23 March 2018, the first one in South America.