Asia-Pacific Water Forum

Summary of Chair Concluding Statement of the Asia-Pacific Regional Session at the 5th World Water Forum

Summary of Chair Concluding Statement(PDF, 43KB)

SUMMARY OF CHAIR CONCLUDING STATEMENTAsia-Pacific Session on the “Ministers for Water Security Initiative in the Asia-Pacific Region”
By H.E. Yoshiro Mori, President of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum and former Prime Minister of Japan

The Asia-Pacific Regional Session of the 5th World Water Forum was rganized by the Asia-Pacific Water Forum (APWF) in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) on March 20th and well attended by delegations from countries across the Asia-Pacific Region. Many Ministers participated in the deliberations on water security for sustainable socio-economic development of the region. Among the Ministers were those who had been invited to speak on behalf of their respective subregions, such as Mr. Chen Lei, Minister for Water Resources, People’s Republic of China, Mr. Saidi Yokubzod, Minister of Land Reclamation and Water Resources, Tajikistan, Mr. Giorgi Khachidze, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources Protection, Georgia, Mr. Ramesh Sen, Minister for Water Resources of Bangladesh, Mr. Djoko Kirmanto, Minister of Public Works of Indonesia, and Mr. Faumuina Liuga, Minister for Natural Resources and Environment of Samoa, as well as those representing the host countries of important regional meetings of APWF: Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister of the Environment and Water resources of Singapore, and Mr. Yasushi Kaneko, Senior Vice-Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism of Japan.

The participants, including Ministers from Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Republic of Korea, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Uzbekistan as well as top official of key international organizations, such as FAO, ICHARM, ICIMOD and IUCN, and a representative of the G8 Experts Group on Water and Sanitation, confirmed their support for the Ministers for Water Security Initiative announced by APWF at the start of the 5th World Water Forum.

After the Asia-Pacific Regional Report was launched. the participants noted ongoing efforts by APWF to increase the region’s access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, improve water resources management and environmental integrity, and reduce communities' vulnerability to water-related disasters. APWF lead organizations have continued to boost investments, build capacity, increase public outreach and enhance cooperation in the water sector.

The meeting called for water security to be mainstreamed in national deevelopment agendas, and recognized that more investments and regional cooperation are needed to address water security challenges. The participants expressed their support for APWF's Ministers for Water Security Initiative targeted at policy makers in charge of finance, planning, health, disaster management, infrastructure, agriculture, energy, environment, water, and other water-related portfolios to help increase water security. Many of the ministers participating in the meeting announced their support as a Friend of the Ministers for Water Security Initiative, and called on the APWF to invite leaders from the private sector and civil society to join the dialogues with ministers on water security, starting in 2009.