Asia-Pacific Water Forum

Official Launching Ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum Held

On September 27, the official launching ceremony of the APWF was held in Manila, The Philippines with the participation of President of the JWF Yoshiro Mori. This ceremony took place on the occasion of the ADB's Water Financing Program Conference. More than 160 representatives of over 30 organizations from the Asia-Pacific region attended the ceremony.

At the opening of the ceremony, Mr. Mori, the new president of the JWF, paid tribute to the work of former Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto, promising that he would take over Hashimoto's firm determination to establish the Asia-Pacific Water Forum and his cherished desire to contribute to the resolution of global water problems. Mr. Mori also said that the JWF was preparing for the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit, to be held in 2007, in cooperation with the Japanese government. He called for the participation of heads of national governments and companies in the forthcoming Summit. Following Mr. Morifs address, Ms. Erna Witoelar, UN Special Ambassador for the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific, delivered a welcome speech. She mentioned that it was crucial to solve problems of water and sanitation for sustainable development.

This was followed by a speech by ADB president Haruhiko Kuroda. He promised to provide support to the activities of the APWF and to the holding of the APWS (Asia-Pacific Water Summit, to be held in 2007). Greetings were also offered by Mr. Datuk Paduka Ir Hj Keizrul Abdullah, chair of the GWP-Southeast Asia; Mr. Siddique Quamrul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Water Partnership; Mr. Il-pyo Hong, secretary general of the Korea Water Forum; and Mr. Sulton Rahimov, chairman of the executive committee of the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea.

At the end of the ceremony, Mr. Kotaro Takemura, secretary general of the JWF, announced the venue for the first Asia-Pacific Water Summit as Beppu City, Oita Prefecture, Japan. He also introduced a new website dedicated to the activities and discussions of the APWF. (http://www.apwf.org/) This website is a portal site for water-related information in Asia-Pacific region, on which anyone can access information and exchange valuable opinions.

On the second day (September 28), participants discussed the organization of the APWF and its future direction. Mr. Tommy Koh, ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore, was appointed as chair of the governing council. Ms. Erna Witoelar, UN Special Ambassador for the MDGs in Asia and the Pacific, and Mr. Rabi Narayanan, former chief executive of WaterAid were appointed as vice chairs. The following organizations were designated as lead organizations for the activities of the APWF.

Key Result Areas (KRAs)
1. Developing knowledge and lessons: Singapore PUB
2. Increasing local capacity: Streams of Knowledge (The Philippines); UNHABITAT
3. Increasing public outreach: ADB
4. Monitoring investments and results: UNESCAP
5. Supporting Forum and Summit: JWF

Priority Themes
A. Water Financing: ADB
B. Disaster Management: ICHARM; WHO
C. Water for Development & Ecosystems: IUCN; FAO

Please visit the APWF Archives for more details.