Summary
The Budapest Water Summit resumed discussions on Tuesday in four plenary sessions covering: water-use efficiency; integrated water resources management (IWRM); water quality; and water-related ecosystems.
Ministers from China, Jordan, Lao PDR, Senegal and Tajikistan addressed delegates on a range of issues, drawing attention to progress in water management in their respective countries.
High-level representatives from UN agencies, development banks, universities and companies engaged in water-intensive activities also took part in the discussions.
Participants acknowledged the need for: appropriate water pricing policies that will build in support for the most vulnerable; increasing the productivity of water in agriculture; intersectoral cooperation that engages all water-related sectors; and transboundary cooperation for river basin management. Calling for a holistic approach, many expressed support for promoting joint, multi-stakeholder efforts toward implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) on water. They also discussed approaches to “blended finance” and public-private partnerships that will provide the necessary funds and expertise to develop water infrastructure, especially in developing countries.
At lunchtime, the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) celebrated the 20th anniversary of the UNECE Water Convention with a birthday cake and a line-up of speakers.
UNECE Executive Secretary Christian Friis Bach highlighted the success of the Convention in promoting good practice and securing financial resources for projects, and he noted interest in the potential for an intergovernmental platform for long-term political cooperation on water issues.
In the evening, delegates continued their deliberations on a draft outcome statement from the Budapest Water Summit and attended a function titled “Water Connects – Wine Unites.”
IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary report from BWS 2016, which is available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Sean Wu
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Session 3:How to achieve increased water-use efficiency
(L-R) Jerome Delli Priscolli, Chair, Technical Committee, Global Water Partnership; Vladimir Rakhmanin, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO); Hazim El Naser, Minister of Water Resources, Jordan; Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources, China; Rozemarijn ter Horst, Water Youth Network; and Mohammed Bushehri, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Kuwait
Vladimir Rakhmanin, Assistant Director-General, Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, FAO
Chen Lei, Minister of Water Resources, China
Hazim El Naser, Minister of Water Resources, Jordan
Mohammed Bushehri, Ministry of Electricity and Water, Kuwait
High-level panel discussion 3How to manage every drop
(L-R) Jerome Delli Priscolli, Chair, Technical Committee, Global Water Partnership; Olcay Ünver, Deputy Director, Land & Water Division, FAO; Regina Kuzmina, Managing Director Hungary & the Adriatic Region, Unilever; Jonathan Taylor, Vice-President, European Investment Bank; Bruno Tisserand, Research Programme Director at Veolia and President of EurEau; and Batbayar Zeneemyadar, Ambassador of Mongolia to Hungary
Olcay Ünver, Deputy Director, Land & Water Division, FAO
Jonathan Taylor, Vice-President, European Investment Bank
Jerome Delli Priscolli, Chair, Technical Committee,
Global Water Partnership
Bruno Tisserand, Research Programme Director at Veolia and President of EurEau
Regina Kuzmina, Managing Director Hungary & the Adriatic Region, Unilever
Batbayar Zeneemyadar, Ambassador of Mongolia to Hungary
Participants asking questions during high-level panel discussion 3
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Session 4How to do integrated water resources management
(L-R) Tom Soo, Executive Director, World Water Council; Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE); Sirodjidin Mukhridinovich Aslov, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Tajikistan; Mansour Faye, Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, Senegal; Stefan Uhlenbrook, Coordinator, World Water Assessment Programme, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and Shammy Puri, International Association of Hydrogeologists
Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, UN Economic Commission for Europe
Mansour Faye, Minister for Water Resources and Sanitation, Senegal
High-level Panel Discussion 4IWRM - does it really exist?
(L-R) Tom Soo, Executive Director, World Water Council; Alexandros Yannis, Senior Expert, European External Action Service; Sami Faruqi, Manager, Water and Environment Division, Islamic Development Bank; Betsy Otto, Global Director, Water Programme, World Resources Institute; Torkil Jønch Clausen, Member, Board of Governors, World Water Council; Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River; Daene McKinney, Professor, University of Texas, US; Peter Joo Hee Ng, Chief Executive, Public Utilities Board, Singapore; Stefan Uhlenbrook, Coordinator, World Water Assessment Programme, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization; and Shammy Puri, International Association of Hydrogeologists
Tom Soo, Executive Director, World Water Council
Torkil Jønch Clausen, Member, Board of Governors, World Water Council
Alexandros Yannis, Senior Expert, European External Action Service
Betsy Otto, Global Director, Water Programme, World Resources Institute
Session 5How to improve water quality
(L-R) Mark Smith, Director, Global Water Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature; Helge Wendenburg, Director-General, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany; Sommad Pholsena, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, Lao PDR; Anik Bhaduri, Executive Director, Sustainable Water Future Programme, Australia; Le Duc Trung, Director-General, Ministry of Natural Resources, Viet Nam; and Philip Gichuki, Managing Director, Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, Kenya
Le Duc Trung, Director-General,
Ministry of Natural Resources, Viet Nam
Philip Gichuki, Managing Director,
Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, Kenya
High-level Panel Discussion 5How to improve water quality for the people and the planet
Alvaro Umaña-Quesada, former Minister of Energy and Environment, Costa Rica and Vice Chair of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace
Frank Rijsberman, Director-General, Global Green Growth Institute, and Jeremy Bird, Director-General, International Water Management Institute
(L-R) Mark Smith, Director, Global Water Programme, International Union for Conservation of Nature; Frank Rijsberman, Director-General, Global Green Growth Institute; Jeremy Bird, Director-General, International Water Management Institute; Debra Kertzman, Representative, European Representative Office, Asian Development Bank; Alvaro Umaña-Quesada, former Minister of Energy and Environment, Costa Rica and Vice Chair of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace; Alex Mung, Head of Water Initiative, World Economic Forum; Jennifer Haverkamp, Special Representative for Environment and Water Resources, State Department, US; and Le Duc Trung, Director-General, Ministry of Natural Resources, Viet Nam
Debra Kertzman, Representative, European Representative Office, Asian Development Bank
Alex Mung, Head of Water Initiative, World Economic Forum
Session 6How to manage water-related ecosystems better
(L-R) Gábor Baranyai, Ministerial Commissioner, Ministry of Justice, Hungary; Stuart Bunn, Director, Australian River Institute, Griffith University, and Sustainable Water Future Programme, Australia; Ney Maranhão, Director, National Water Agency, Brazil; János Zlinszky, Director, Regional Environmental Center; Ger Bergkamp, Executive Director, International Water Association; and Charles Vörösmarty, City University of New York
Ney Maranhão, Director, National Water Agency, Brazil
Charles Vörösmarty, City University of New York
High-level Panel Discussion 6How to get more green
(L-R) Nikolay Kosov, Chairman of the Board, International Investment Bank; Jean-François Donzier, Permanent Technical Secretary, International Network of Basin Organizations; Karin Krchnak, Senior Director for Water, World Wildlife Fund; Ania Grobicki, Deputy Secretary General, Ramsar Convention on Wetlands; Patrick Lavarde, President, International Water Resources Association (IWRA); Ger Bergkamp, Executive Director, International Water Association; and Gábor Baranyai, Ministerial Commissioner, Ministry of Justice, Hungary
Water Convention: The 20th AnniversaryConvened by the Ministry of Interior of Hungary and UNECE
Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, UNECE
(L-R) Christian Friis Bach, Executive Secretary, UNECE; Thomas Stratenwerth, Head, General, Fundamental, International and European Aspects of Water Management Division; Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River; Jaana Husu-Kallio, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland; Hassan Janabi, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iraq; and Sibylle Vermont, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
Jaana Husu-Kallio, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Finland
Thomas Stratenwerth, Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety, Germany
Ivan Zavadsky, Executive Secretary, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River
Sibylle Vermont, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
Around the Venue
