3
The News N° 26
Information: Fax: +33 4 93 65 44 02 - E-mail:
South Korea - 13 - 17April 2015
management is crucial to ensure water resources sustainability”
(12-17April2015)
l
In many regions, riparian countries of
transboundary basins have created joint
commissions, authorities or international
organizations, improving dialogues,
exchanges of useful information, conflict
resolutions and benefit sharing.
l
One of the keys to building trust could be
facilitating data and information
exchanges among riparian countries of
transboundary basins and aquifers.
l
Cooperative efforts in the field of trans-
boundary waters are strongly encoura-
ged.
l
The recent entry into force of the UN
Convention on the Law of the Non-Navi-
gational Uses of International Water-
courses in August 2014, as well as the
amendments for the opening of the
Convention on the Protection and Use of
TransboundaryWatercoursesand Interna-
tional Lakes toall UnitedNationsMember
States are useful in this context, noting
that they can only apply when appro-
priate.
l
There is aneed for reasonable and sustai-
nable management of transboundary
aquifers, and countries are encouraged to
enter into effective dialogues to this end.
l
Capacitybuilding in termsofwater gover-
nance is also crucial.
We will add a broad consensus to promote
joint management of surface and groundwa-
ter in the same territory.
These recommendations were the sub-
ject of the DGIC (Daegu Gyeongju
Implementation Commitment),
officially
signed at the closing ceremony of the Forum
by the 16 themes coordinators, including the
International Network of Basin Organi-
zations (INBO)
under theme T4.3 - ”facilita-
ting cooperation to avoid conflict and
improve transboundary water management”
and the
International Network of Water
TrainingCenters (INWTC)
under the theme
T4.5 “Education and capacity building”.
The ForumMinisterial Declaration
stres-
sed the need topromote goodgovernance at
all levels includingbasin level, basedon, inter
alia, water planning, public participation and
the soundmanagement of physical infrastruc-
ture and natural systems as ameans to effec-
tively tackle the water security related chal-
lenges.
The Ministers
recognized the leading role
that riparian countries have on advancing
cooperation on transboundary waters. They
recognized that transboundary water coope-
rationbasedonwin-win solutions can contri-
bute to sustainable development and sound
management of the transboundary waters
between riparian countries and to peace and
stability of the nations.
They noted the key role of theUnitedNations
in promoting international water cooperation
at theglobal level. Several of theprinciples of
the relevant international Conventions on
water can be useful in this regard.
They emphasized that IntegratedWater
Resources Management supported by
appropriate land management at the
basin level is crucial to sustainable
watermanagement andplanning.
They declared that vocational training
on water should be supported by sus-
tainable financial mechanisms and by
creating and strengthening national
and international water training cen-
ters.
They encouraged multilateral cooperation
programs onwater to incorporate these ideas
and the experimentation, evaluation and
exchange of know-how on vocational trai-
ning and higher education, including by sup-
porting cooperation networks between exis-
ting training centers and academic centers
and new centers to be created.
In parallel to the official sessions of the
Forum, several side events allowed presen-
ting a broad range of field experiments and
direct exchanges among managers of basin
organizations, especially
the two sessions
onexamplesof fruitful cooperation sup-
portedby the FrenchWater Agencies,
in
East and Southeast Asia, on the one hand,
and in Africa, on the other, as well as
two
sessions on river basin management
andvocational trainingorganizedat the
French Pavilion,
with the support of the
FrenchWater Partnership.
Of course, all the problems will not be
solved as bymagic, but unquestionably
basin management, transboundary
cooperation and vocational training
have scored during the World Water
Forum inKorea!
All thepapersandphotographsof these
events, organizedduring the lastWorld
Water Forum in Daegu and Gyeongju
from 12 to 17 April 2015, are available
and can be downloaded on INBO and
INWTCwebsites.
4
Presentation of the report onwater demand in theMediterranean
by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation -© IOWater - C.Runel
Mr. Lupercio Ziroldo Antonio
INBOWorld President
© IOWater - C.Runel
InternationalNetwork
ofWaterTraining
Centers
INWTC
inTeRnaTional evenTs
