Summary
On the third and final day of the Budapest Water Summit, delegates heard keynote presentations on four cross-cutting issues: climate and disasters; urban systems; transboundary water management; and progress toward a global indicator framework for monitoring of the SDGs, including SDG 6 on water.
A High-level Special Session on Climate Change and Water also took place, with addresses by leaders and representatives of Saudi Arabia, Poland, the World Meteorological Organization, the International Council for Science, the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, and the Green Climate Fund. Speakers noted the increasing impacts on water and the growing scale of the challenge. Participants discussed how to achieve integrated approaches to water management and underlined the need to maintain the “water momentum” displayed at the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP-22) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech, Morocco, earlier in November 2016.
In the afternoon, András Szöllősi-Nagy, Co-Chair of the Budapest Water Summit, invited participants to discuss the Budapest Water Summit Messages document, which presents ideas for water management within the 15-year framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Rapporteurs from each of the six sessions that took place during the Summit reported to plenary the main outcomes of discussions. Delegates also heard report-backs from the Women, Civil, Science-Technology and Youth Forums that took place in parallel with the Summit.
At the closing session, Szöllősi-Nagy explained that the Messages will remain a living document. Participants then welcomed the Messages by acclamation. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of Mauritius, Co-Chair of the High-Level Panel on Water, reminded participants that water demands an urgent response, and that immediate action is a matter of dignity, justice and survival. Csaba Balogh, Minister of State for Public Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary, said that the Summit had undoubtedly been a milestone in the global water agenda, drawing 2,600 participants from 117 countries. The meeting closed at 4.55 pm.
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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Keynotes on Cross-cutting Issues
(L-R) Gabriella Vukovich, President, Hungarian Central Statistical Office; Graham Alabaster, Chief, Waste Management & Sanitation, UN-Habitat; Toshio Koike, Director, International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management; Stefan Uhlenbrook, World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO; and Francesca Bernardini, Secretary, UNECE Water Convention
Toshio Koike, Director,
International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management
Francesca Bernardini, Secretary, UNECE Water Convention
Gabriella Vukovich, President, Hungarian Central Statistical Office
Graham Alabaster,
Chief, Waste Management & Sanitation, UN-Habitat
High-level Special Session on Climate Change and Water
(L-R) Javier Manzanares, Executive Director a.i., Green Climate Fund; János Pásztor, Senior Advisor to the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change and Senior Fellow of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs; Gordon McBean, President, International Council for Science; Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, World Meteorological Organization (WMO); Mariusz Gajda, Undersecretary of State, Ministry of the Environment, Poland; Mohammed Al-Saud, Deputy Minister for Water, Saudi Arabia; and Johannes Cullmann, Director, WMO
Javier Manzanares, Executive Director a.i., Green Climate Fund
Johannes Cullmann, Director, WMO
Mohammed Al-Saud, Deputy Minister for Water, Saudi Arabia
Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, WMO
Participants asking questions during high-level panel discussion 3
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Discussion Session
András Szöllősi-Nagy, Co-Chair, Budapest Water Summit
(L-R) Joshua Newton, World Bank Group, Global Water Partnership, African Development Bank; Balázs Heincz, Water Coordinator at Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary; and András Szöllősi-Nagy, Co-Chair, Budapest Water Summit
Plenary Session and DiscussionRapporteurs of the 6 sessions and the stakeholders’ fora report back
(L-R) Béla Kuslits, Regional Environmental Center (REC); Alice Bouman-Dentener, Chair a.i., Global Water Partnership; Chishala Kapupu, Go Green R^3; János Zlinszky, Director, REC; Anik Bhaduri, Executive Director, Sustainable Water Future Programme, Australia; Rozemarijn ter Horst, Board Member, Water Youth Network; Sarah Dousse, Executive Director a.i., International Secretariat for Water/Solidarity Water Europe; Marianne Kjellén, UNDP Senior Water Advisor; András Szöllősi-Nagy, Co-Chair of the International Programme Committee of the Budapest Water Summit 2016; and Stefan Uhlenbrook, World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO
János Zlinszky, Director, REC
Stefan Uhlenbrook,
World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO
Chishala Kapupu, Go Green R^3
Alice Bouman-Dentener, Chair a.i., Global Water Partnership
Presentation of the Budapest Water Summit 2016 Messages
András Szöllősi-Nagy, Co-Chair of the International Programme Committee of the Budapest Water Summit 2016
Closing Remarks
Csaba Balogh, Minister of State for Public Administration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Hungary
Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, President of Mauritius, Co-Chair of the High-Level Panel on Water
Zsófia Tomaj, Master of Ceremonies (left) and delegates express appreciation to
Summit Co-Chair András Szöllősi-Nagy and the organizing team.
Around the Venue
