WWC News
 "Unique Insights to the World's Water Problems"
With a special focus on water, the January issue of ISO Focus - the magazine on ISO's activities in international standardization - provides a 4 page Guest View where the President of the World Water Council, Loïc Fauchon, gives a "unique insight into the world’s water problems" and emphasizes the important link between international standardization projects and the work of the WWC. Download the article
Water Investments to Prevail Post Market Turmoil
"In uncertain and volatile markets, water investments have a track record of providing consistent, steady returns, and are attracting new interest as a result," reads a focus article published this week for Dow Jones Newswires. Ger Bergkamp, Director General of the World Water Council, comments in the article that water isn't traded on a world market, unlike other commodities and the majority of the $400 to $500 billion invested in water globally comes directly from governments. Want to know more about investments and water?
Financing and Pricing Water
On December 1 and 2 in Paris, France, the OECD Global Forum on Sustainable Development hosted a meeting entitled “Financing and Pricing Water: the roles of government policies, the private sector and civil society.” In the context of the current financial crisis, Secretary General of OECD and Chair of the Task Force on Financing from the 4th World Water Forum, Angel Gurria insisted that it is even more important than ever to evoke development aid and financing for water and sanitation. Read more.
 WWC-OECD New Publication on Aid for Water Supply and Sanitation
A joint publication of OECD/DAC and the WWC, this report examines data on aid in support of water supply and sanitation over 2001-2006. It is based on donors’ reporting on Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitments and disbursements to the Creditor Reporting System (CRS) Aid Activity Database. Main findings will be incorporated in the OECD synthesis report Sustainable financing to ensure affordable access to water supply and sanitation that will be made available at the 5th World Water Forum in Istanbul.
News from Members & Partners
 Water for All Competition - call for projects - The Suez Environment - Water for All Foundation is launching the Water for All Competition for higher education and research institutions. It challenges entrants to devise innovative projects that improve access to drinking water or sanitation services for urban populations in developing countries. Visit the website for detailed information.
 "Water for Peace - Peace for Water" - A few months prior to the Forum, the Fondation Chirac, UNESCO and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) are organizing "L'Eau pour la Paix, la Paix pour l'Eau" (Water for Peace - Peace for Water). This conference which aims to promote transboundary cooperation and access to water in fragile States will be held Thursday, November 13, 2008 at UNESCO (Paris). Read more.
 Business and Conservation - Critics at the World Conservation Congress, held last week in Barcelona, said that environmental leaders must urgently learn and adopt business management approaches, otherwise the conservation movement will continue to “fail” to achieve the impacts it has been seeking for decades. "Conservation leaders need to stop counting birds and start counting dividends that nature can pay the people who live in it," added Ger Bergkamp, Director General of the World Water Council. See the discussion continue in the New York Times: The Failing Business of Conservation
More news from Partners & Members
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5th World Water Forum
 Parliamentarians call for Helpdesk - More than 50 parliamentarians from all over the world gathered in Strasbourg, France last week to prepare the 5th World Water Forum parliamentarian process. Presented with the opportunity to share their legislative experience relating to issues such as adapting water management to global changes, the participants expressed difficulties to find relevant information. Read More.
 Saving Europe's Water
WWC Director General Ger Bergkamp opened the European Policy Summit on Water, organized by the European Water Partnership and Friends of Europe on 5 November, with a speech highlighting the connection between the Summit and the 5th World Water Forum. Read article.
 IUWC presented at the World Urban Forum
The World Water Council and UN-Habitat co-organised a networking event entitled “Istanbul Urban Water Consensus: Mayors’ commitments” during the fourth session of the World Urban Forum, held in Nanjing, China, on 3 - 6 November. Read article...
Blue news
 SACOSAN States reaffirm the right to water and sanitation - The eight SACOSAN member States - India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka - concluded the Third South Asian Conference on Sanitation (SACOSAN III) held in New Delhi from 18 to 21 November with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration. Read article.
 "Know with the Flow" - With the aim of bridging the gap between knowledge suppliers and practitioners through a range of services in capacity building, training and communications, MetaMeta and Cap-Net jointly developed the new website "Know with the Flow", giving access to an international collection of videos with educational purposes, among others.
 Human Rights Council appoints Independent Expert for Water - The Human Rights Council has appointed Catarina de Albuquerque as the Independent Expert on human rights obligations related to safe drinking water and sanitation, from 1 November 2008. Read more on the OHCHR website.
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