IOWater - International News

6 The News N° 29 - February 2019 The purpose of this conference organised by the Dicastery for the promotion of inte- gral human development with the patronage of the Pontifical Urbaniana University, was threefold: l Evaluating the progress made as well as the impasses and failures of this fun- damental objective: to provide water to thirsty people; l Reiterating the vision of water as a com- mon good, essential to life and intended for all human beings; l Making a useful and inspiring contribu- tion to future international commitments on water. The conference drew on previous contribu- tions of the Catholic Church to the interna- tional and interdisciplinary debate and to the efforts made on universal access to water. Particular attention was paid to the factors that have a positive influence on this univer- sal access and to the causes of the persistence of many problems in this area, and to the dif- ficulty of tackling these causes. Problems related to pollution and purifica- tion, health, infrastructure, participation in decision-making processes, competing uses of freshwater, investments and cost recovery, education and culture, among others, were given great attention. Mr. Jean-François Donzier, former INBO Gene­ ral Secretary, made a key speech on integra­ ted water resources management in national and transboundary basins. 4 “Managing a common asset: universal access to safe drinking water for all” 8 November 2018 - Vatican City - Rome - Italy The Rio Grande Basin Council (Consejo de la Cuenca del Rio Bravo - CCRB) has the mission to promote and participate in water manage- ment in its local context to preserve water quantity and quality. The main objective of this forum was to raise the users’ awareness to define a common vision on water gover­ nance. Its specific objectives were: l Knowing global trends and understan­ ding the concepts of water governance and management; l Increasing knowledge of surface and ground water management in the Rio Grande Basin; l Identifying the opportunities and chal- lenges of water management in the basin; l Initiating a process of developing a shared vision for the future of the Rio Grande Basin. Mr. Jean-François Donzier, former INBO General Secretary, was invited to deliver a key speech. He was able to point out that global trends in water governance are via- ble for Mexico, and present points of gene­ ral interest, such as good management stra­ tegies at the basin level, the importance of having reliable data, the need for strong citizen participation and the establishment of appropriate and incentive funding systems to save water resources and reduce any kind of pollution. www.cuencariobravo.org 4 Forum on “Water Governance in the Rio Grande Basin… towards a common vision” 15 - 16 November 2018 - Monterrey - Mexico international events Water Desalination Alliance On 16 January, during the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, IOWater signed partnership agreements with the Glo- bal Clean Water Desalination Alliance (GCWDA). The Alliance, which currently has 176 Members from 38 countries, was launched at the COP21 in Paris in 2015. It aims to reduce carbon emissions and improve water resources management in desalination plants. The Alliance focuses on four key areas: clean energy supply for desalination plants, energy efficiency, systems inte- gration and demand response, R&D and demonstration, training and outreach. Under the terms of the agreement, a trust fund will be set up to support the Alliance’s activities and innovative pro- jects. The fund will be overseen by both parties and managed by IOWater. It is intended to collect contributions from organisations wishing to support the vision of the alliance to reduce the carbon footprint of water. Unconventional water resources are becoming increasingly important, inclu- ding desalination. Sound management of water resources therefore requires inno- vative and “clean” approaches, in order to sustainably integrate these solutions and reconcile generalised access to water resources, economic and agricultural development on the one hand, and miti- gation measures for water production on the other. The partnership must thus allow a better integration of clean desalination in the water strategies of cities, basins or countries. 4