8/10/2007

Recommendations in Forthcoming Policy Brief Just One of Many New Initiatives and Announcements Set for 12-18 August World Water Week

Stockholm, Sweden — To meet the challenge of global water scarcity, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) will on Monday, August 13, call for governments around the world to better manage how they use their existing water resources, taking necessary and sometimes painful measures to decrease losses in water delivery infrastructure and irrigation, to cut subsidies to agriculture, and to put in place realistic water-pricing measures – all before attempting to boost water supplies.

The call will be issued through SIWI’s new policy brief, On the Verge of a New Water Scarcity, which is being released in conjunction with the opening of the 2007 World Water Week in Stockholm. Themed “Progress and Prospects on Water: Striving for Sustainability in a Changing World,” the event will witness the launch of a number of new and groundbreaking studies, reports and initiatives designed to improve a global situation where billions of people are without sustainable access to safe drinking water or suffering ill health due to poor sanitation, where bioenergy demands are diverting water from food production, and where global climate change is affecting the overall water balance. Some 2500 top experts from 140 countries are expected to participate in Stockholm from August 12 to 18.

New Research from SIWI and the Swedish Water House
SIWI and the Swedish Water House will release four policy brief and reports containing cutting-edge research and recommendations on water, sustainability, health and development. On the Verge a New Water Scarcity updates the global water scarcity debate. The United Nations says 20% of the world’s population in 30 countries faces water shortages and that by 2025 the numbers will be 30% and 50 countries, respectively. The SIWI policy brief says a clear distinction must be made between “apparent” scarcity, where there is plenty of water, albeit inefficiently and wastefully used, and “real” scarcity due to lack of rain. The distinctions are important because they imply different responses by governments.

In the report Planning for Drinking Water and Sanitation in Peri-Urban Areas, the Swedish Water House addresses the human health and development crisis by creating a framework for the sustainable planning of water and sanitation infrastructure in the developing world.

In the policy brief Agriculture, Water, and Ecosystems, SIWI, the Swedish Water House, the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the International Water Management Institute suggest concrete management plans to stretch water resources in order to nourish both the world’s ecosystems and food supplies. By 2050, double the current amount of food will be needed to feed the global population. In the future, the water required for food and water needed to keep ecosystems healthy must be balanced carefully.

In Making Anti-Corruption Approaches Work for the Poor, SIWI, the Swedish Water House and the Water Integrity Network offer three principles – integration, targeting and mitigation – which will help the development of pro-poor anti-corruption water sector strategies that target poverty reduction and improve livelihoods.

Other studies, reports and initiatives and announcements to be made during the week include:

* UN-HABITAT, the United Nations agency working with human settlements, will launch 1) the Global Water Operators’ Partnership, 2) the Water and Sanitation Trust Fund, and 3) a Memorandum of Understanding with India under the framework of the Water for Asian Cities Programme.
* British charity WaterAid will make available Global Cause and Effect: How the Aid System is Undermining the Millennium Development Goals
* The Stockholm-based Global Water Partnership will 1) announce its new Chair, 2) release the policy brief Climate Change Adaptation and Water Management, and 3) release the book Sustainable Sanitation in Eastern and Central Europe
* The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, will release a position paper on Natural Resource Tenure.
* The Asian Development Bank will release Dignity, Disease and Dollars: Asia’s Urgent Sanitation Challenge.
* The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) will launch its Global Water Tool.
* The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) South Africa will present its new technology for removing heavy metals and subsequent radioactivity from mines.
* The Co-operative Programme on Water and Climate (CPWC) will release Water, Climate, Risk and Adaptation, and present its new resource centre on water, climate, risk, adaptation and mitigation.
* The World Water Council (WWC), the General Directorate State Hydraulic Works for Turkey (DSI) and the Secretariat of the 5th World Water Forum will release the First Announcement of the 5th Forum.
* The International Institute for Environment and Development will issue two briefing papers that summarise new research on payments for watershed services in developing nations.
* The Stockholm-based International Foundation for Science will release Strengthening Capacity for Water Resources Research in Countries with Vulnerable Scientific Infrastructure.
* The Government of Singapore and the World Health Organisation will sign a Memorandum of Understanding.
* The Water Environment Federation and the International Water Association will introduce the revamped World Water Monitoring Day initiative and provide kits to Stockholm Junior Water Prize participants.

SOURCE: SIWI