In the agreement, the World Energy Council (WEC) and the World Water Council (WWC) commit to work together to build an integrated programme at the 7th World Water Forum, taking place 12–17 April 2015 in Daegu, Korea, and to ensure that the water-energy nexus will be highlighted at the next World Energy Congress, to be held in Istanbul, Turkey in 2016.
Both of these events will build on the expertise and content provided by the members of both organisations, many of which are already working on solutions to the water-energy nexus issue.
‘This is an excellent opportunity to bring our two organisations together to address the growing issue of the energy-water nexus,' says Professor Karl Rose, Senior Director of WEC’s World Energy Scenarios study, and who is overseeing WEC’s collaboration with WWC.
'The World Energy Council highlighted this issue in 2010 with our ground-breaking report, Water for Energy, and we are now looking to address the issue in further depth as we begin work on our next World Energy Scenarios study looking to 2060,’ continues Professor Rose.
‘The World Water Council has been working on the water and energy issue since the 6th World Water Forum, and this new collaboration will give us the means to push forward and encourage harmonised policies,’ adds Benedito Braga, WWC President. ‘Water needs energy and energy needs water. Understanding the interaction between these two vital elements is paramount to developing a water secure future.’
‘The energy-water nexus is a real issue for business and governments alike,' comments WEC Chair, Mrs Marie-José Nadeau. 'We need to mobilise the public and private sectors to provide solutions to this growing problem, and events such as the World Water Day are useful milestones in this process.’
The World Water Forum is the world's largest water-related event, aimed at putting water firmly on the international agenda. It is organised every three years by the World Water Council in collaboration with the authorities of the host country.
The World Energy Congress is WEC’s triennial flagship event. The event – last held in October 2013 in Daegu, Korea – is the premier global forum for leaders and thinkers to debate solutions to energy issues.
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